A Week on a Cruise
by Crimson Rose97
Summary: During a week long Cruise, Spike tries to propose to Rarity. When she refused and told him he was too immature, Spike's heart shatters and takes off into the night. On that heartbroken boat, a human picks up the shattered pieces.
1. Day One

The day started early as the seven close friends walked through Canterlot to make it to the port, excited as they all could be. For the first time in far too long, the girls deserved a proper retreat. Starlight actually knew a pony who was able to get them high class rooms and free access to everything on the ship.

And for Twilight's sake, she doesn't have to entertain on other pony else. She could focus her time and energy on herself and with her friends. And no crazed fans shadowing her at every waking moment. Like last time.

"Boy oh boy, this cruise is going to be awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered, her wings flapping slightly. "When was the last time we actually had a vacation?"

"Like never!" Pinkie Pie chirped, bouncing in excitement, her cotton candy mane and tail bounced with each step. "The parties, the tasty foods, the games, the parties and the tasty foods and-"

"You said those two twice now," AppleJack said, slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder. She was nervous. Big Mac was visiting Sugar Belle and Granny Smith was having her own little vacation with Golden Delicious, so the farm was unattended except for Applebloom, and Applejack had never been on a cruise before, and she didn't want to come home and find that her sister had trashed the place.

"I did?"

"Now Pinkie, darling," Rarity said, adjusting her diamond encrusted sunglasses. "There are more things to do than attend the parties and eat the food." She grabs the brochure and opens it up, showing them the page of a fashion show that was scheduled. "Like the fashion show! I can use this show to show off my new summer line."

"From what Sea Sun told me," Starlight said, "there's enough activities to keep everyone occupied and ensure a good time. He said we'd be at Bahoofmas by the end of the second day, and that we'll stay there for a day or two before we head back home."

"We can't thank you enough for setting this up," Fluttershy said with a gentle smile. "Angel Bunny thanks you too." She said. In her arms lay that very bunny, one paw tucked behind his fuzzy head, dark sunglasses on his face, and giving a satisfied sigh while feeding himself a carrot. Angel Bunny was starting this vacation right. "Too bad I can only bring one animal on the cruise."

Rainbow Dash stealthily glanced over to her backpack to see Tank sticking his head out and giving her a tender smile. Now she doesn't feel guilty on taking her pet on the ship.

"We all appreciate this." Twilight said.

"It's no problem," Starlight smiled at her friends. "We all needed this." She looked at every pony, making sure they have their things…

Only to notice that Rarity was only holding the brochure without a bag in sight. "Um, where's your stuff?"

Rarity looked up from the brochure. "Excuse me darling?" she asked as she tucked the paper into her little handbag.

"Your clothes, where are they?" Starlight asked her again.

"Oh!" Rarity said, finally seeing what Starlight was talking about and chuckled. "Spike's carrying them." Rarity points with behind them.

"Spike?" Twilight raised a brow before turning her head to look and her jaw nearly dislocated at what she saw.

Spike, now approaching his twenty-third birthday, was taller than any of the mares, even a couple of inches taller than Big Mac, and was pulling along a huge cart filled with a mountain of suitcases. Twilight could tell how many, she could not see the far side of the pile.

Now over the years, Spike had come along quite nicely. He wore baggy green pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots, and the black tank top he wore showed off his well toned and muscled scaly arms with the fabric hugging his frame closely, save for a few holes for the spikes along his back, as well as his wings and tail.

Wings which finally grew in when he had turned sixteen. He wasn't a great of a flyer yet, since he wasn't born with them; but at least he was better than Twilight.

All of his baby fat was gone, burnt away as he spent a hours few times each week playing hoofball and working out at the gym. The exercise really filled him out. Spike had turned out to be a good looking dragon.

But some things never changed. For instance, he was dragging Rarity's luggage like the faithful love sick puppy he was. His feelings for the marshmallow white mare had only increased over time, and he was still madly in love with her.

Spike dragged the cart to catch up with the other girls and saw the look at Twilight's face.

"You okay?" Spike asked her.

Pinkie reached over to the princess and picked up her jaw herself. "Spike, I thought you were going to stay at the castle?" Twilight finally said before rubbing her jawbone, which was now sore.

"Rarity invited me as her plus one," Spike said as he grinned. Though he gotten older, that same childlike grin always lingered.

He had been so excited when Rarity asked him to come. The moment still was fresh on his mind.

Rarity entered the castle library while he was organizing Twilight's books.

"Spikie Wikie dear!" Rarity called him down.

Spike perked up and swooped down as fast as he could… he ended up crashing into a pile of books waiting to be organized and shelved. He sat up in a daze and shook his head before looking up.

Rarity had bent forward a bit looking down at him, her hands on her thighs with a slight smile. The white shirt she was wearing was tight, it outlined her firm breasts beautifully as they floated right in front of his face, causing him to blush pure red.

"Are you alright Spike?" Rarity cooed. "That was a nasty fall you've taken."

Spike grinned like a big dummy and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Never better. I'm still getting used to having wings, you know, and taking off is easy. Landing is hard." 'Smooth move there idiot,' he thought.

Rarity giggled, causing her boobs to jiggle just right. Spike quickly looked up and tried to put his mind on other things. Just looking at her, being this close to her body, his cock twitched within his pants.

'Damnit Rarity.' The older he gotten, his need for her increased. Just seeing her, the smell of her perfume, that adorable laugh of her's; it was all causing his dragon blood to boil with lust. He usually managed to keep it down, but when she's this close to his face he felt he could pounce on her at any moment.

But being the noble dragon he was, he was going to do his best to keep himself in check.

But sweet Celestia!

"I-is there something you need, Rarity?" Spike asked, trying to contain himself.

"Why yes darling," Rarity said, finally standing up to where she wasn't so close to his snout. "You know about the up and coming cruise the girls and I are about to partake in, right?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, I know. A girls' week off. I already talked about it with Twilight. I've got the castle handled."

"A whole week." She made a slight pout. "And one of those days that we are abroad is your birthday."

Yeah, Spike's birthday was coming up soon. Twilight and the others would be gone that entire week. He'll probably just celebrate it with Thorax and Ember. He was fine with that.

"Starlight mentioned that all of us girls can bring one person along with them." She said, looking at him with half-lowered lidded eyes. "And I don't want you to be alone on your birthday. I would like for you to join us."

R-rarity invited him to join the others? His eyes widened and he felt his wings spring up. She wanted him to be her plus one! T-this was a joke? Right?

Spike never said yes that fast before. Or so loud that it resembled a tiny roar.

"I just couldn't stand to think he'll be at home while we're on a cruise on his birthday." Rarity said. "So I invited Spikie Wikie."

The spikes along his spine tingled by the way she spoke the little nickname she had given him years ago.

"That was nice of you." Fluttershy said.

"Why thank you darling." Rarity giggled. "Now let us go, my dears. The cruise will depart without us."

Spike held back for a bit, mesmerizing by the backside of Rarity as she sashayed down the boardwalk, entranced by the way her curled tail lifted just enough to give him a peek of that perfect ass of hers. Yeah, this is going to be the day, Spike thought as he moved behind them. The cart didn't feel heavy at all to him as he followed after her..

Spike had something planned for him and Rarity. He couldn't wait for it. He had intended to wait for his birthday in six days, but the drake didn't know if he could wait that long.

He followed the girls across the bridge to the zeppelin only to jerk to a stop as he nearly ran into them. "What's going on?" He asked with a raised brow. He looked up to see what the commotion was and saw some umans.

The humans came from another realm, the same realm he and Twilight went to years ago. It used to be that a mirror was the way to get from there to here, but something happened that created a portal which could never be closed. At first there was panic from both sides as no one on either side knew what to do, or if one was going to invade the other or not. The Princesses and "Earth's" leaders came did finally come together to propose a peace treaty. Spike remembered sitting in that long ass meeting for what seemed for an eternity, falling asleep multiple times. He remembered the agreement: humans and ponies are allowed to visit each other's realm with a special permit. But to live in the other's lands, you have to give up your citizenship for your old realm in order to live, own property, or work within the other realm. Sounds reasonable.

Now, only a handful of humans were on the ship, but what he could tell by the servant clothes that they were working there.

The humans have either light or dark skins, they didn't have the pony ears or tails, they were all much smaller than the ponies. Their hair ranged from blonde, red, brunette and black, not different colors of the rainbow like others this realm have. But comparing them to ponies – or in this case, dragons, their physical anatomy was something similar to them.

Spike had never bedded a human female, or male for that matter, but from what he could tell, the females had boobs and males had dicks. So he supposed they were close enough that it didn't matter.

"Starlight Glimmer, why did you not tell us the humans were on this cruise?" Rarity asked, her tone different from what Spike was used to.

"I didn't tell you?" Starlight shrugged. "Humans need jobs too. Sea Sun lets them take server jobs here. Especially since the flu season took most of the old cruise workers out, and they needed replacements."

"Will they be able to move all this heavy stuff?" Fluttershy asked in a small whisper.

"Pah!" Rarity scoffed, her outright hostility surprising Spike.

Spike knew that Rarity had a bad experience with a human about a year ago, but he didn't know what actually happened. Whatever had happened, it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Spike followed the girls as they continued further into the ship, thinking of the activities that were going to be happening on the cruise. The wind surfing, relaxing in the hot tub, spending a week with Rarity in the same room.

That last thought alone sent shivers down his spine.

While Spike was moving across the deck in midst of his daydream, a large blank canvas was being pushed towards the stairs to the upper cabins. A human girl was near the top of the stairs, pushing it further along, and on the steps below her were several cans of paint. Two unicorn mares at the top of the stairs were talking with her. They were apparently twins, one was purple with teal hair and the other vise versa, they were talking to the girl carrying the canvas from the top balcony.

"You sure you don't need help?" The purple unicorn asked.

"Yeah, Rach, we don't mind using our magic to help," the teal mare said. "I told you she wouldn't leave that stuff at home," She told her sister.

"Guys, I don't need your–" The girl grunted, pushing the canvas up a step. "I can do it. I don't need help."

"You sure?" the teal unicorn asked "That canvas is pretty big."

Pushing two more steps, the girl looks at them. "If I can bench one fifteen at the gym, I can carry this stupid thing," She said stubbornly.

Rarity stepped in front of the girls and took a huge breath of air. "That my dears, is the smell of Paradise. As soon we get unpacked, the fun begins!" She squealed, clapping her hands.

"Are you sure you don't need our help?" The unicorn upstairs asked the girl again.

The girl snapped her head up and looked at her breathing heavily. "Girls I'm fine. I don't need your–whoa!" The girl's boot slipped off a step and collided with the cans of paint underneath.

One of the cans, the color of onyx, scooted off the step and started rolling down the steps rapidly.

"Yo watch out!" The Human girl called out below her as the heavy can bounced.

That shout snapped Spike out of his daydream and he saw the can fall. He saw where Rarity was and he tried to get there in time, but he was too late.

When the can finally hit the bottom, the lid sprang off and the black paint inside splattered everywhere on the deck. All over the floor, the steps and the railing, but most importantly, it went all over Rarity's pristine white fur and her designer summer dress. Clumps of it even clung to her mane.

The whole Zeppelin ship went eerily quiet for a moment. The girls looked at Rarity with shock, eyes wide and afraid to make a sound.

Spike was speechless.

Rarity broke that moment of silence with her loudest and shrillest scream.

"MY DRESS!" She screeched, and began to sway and fall backwards out of shock.

Spike managed to catch her, wrapping his claws around her waist and pulling her gently into his arms. Rarity's arm went dramatically above her head to great effect with her head against his shoulder.

The girls huddled close. Voices overlapping, checking of she was okay and asking if she needed to see the ship's doctor.

The human girl ran down the stairs, just as shocked as everypony else. Spike whipped his head around and glared. His slit pupils dilated and a deep warning growl escaped from deep within his throat. His wings flared in aggression as just a sliver of his primal dragon emerged from within.

The girl was surprisingly tall. A good bit taller than the other humans around them, almost as tall as a pony. Her blonde hair was layered and long enough that it touched her rump with its blue streaks, and her eyes were a deep warm brown. Her white sleeveless shirt had one of his favorite band's logo printed on the front.

She wasn't fazed by his warning and covered her mouth with one hand when she saw the state Rarity was in. "Oh, my god, I am so sorry!" She apologized. "My foot slipped and…" She groaned, looking at the mess her paint made.

"We told you so." The twins called her out.

"Shut up." She groaned at them.

Spike eyed her warily for a moment before he got a whiff of the girl's scent and his eyes widened a hair. She had an unique scent, one he'd never been smelled before, not in any bakery, from any gems, or on any pony, dragon or otherwise. It was sweet, but he couldn't put a claw to it, and it calmed him down, allowing his wings to furling back to their normal place. His shoulders relaxed.

"It was an accident," she told them.

"I'm sure it was." AppleJack obviously believed her, looking up at the stairs and seeing her art supplies.

"An accident?" This intimidating voice came from Spike's arms. Rarity's head snapped forward, blood boiling, with a look that could kill a person. "An accident!?" She pushed off of Spike and stood in front of the human. Grabbing a handful of the fabric of her dress and thrusted up in her face. "This was a one of a kind haute couture dress, made by one of the most famous fashion designers in all of Equestria! You…, you've ruined it!"

Spike had never seen this side of Rarity. He'd heard her shout before, but seeing her explode like this, exploding on what was clearly an accident, and on someone who felt sorry for the it..., this was unlike her.

"Look, I am sorry. I didn't intentionally knock my paint down on you," the human said looking up at the tall mare. "It was an accident, and it's not ruined," She explained. She grabbed a bottle of water that was next to her boot, grabbed the fabric of the dress out of Rarity's hand.

"What are you-" Rarity snapped and before she could finish the sentence, the girl pours some of the water onto the dress.

The water hits the fabric and the black paint started to shift from a thick, gunky substance to what looked like watercolors and washed off. "It's washable." The girl said. "Just put it in the washer and it'll be good as new. A bath will take care of your mane and coat."

Rarity growled, ripping the edges of her dress away from the girl. She had a look of rage on her face, and pure disgust, when she looked towards the girl. She pointed a finger at her. "You will take our bags to our cabins without another word. Don't expect one bit coming from me and the girls."

"Rarity, calm down." Twilight said. "It's not worth getting worked up. She apologized and it was an accident."

"I don't care," Rarity said before moving away from the Human. "I need a bath, stat."

This wasn't right. It was an accident. Spike didn't know why he was believing this girl, but she shouldn't be talked down to like that.

The next moment however, surprised him.

"Excuse me?" the human asked. It wasn't the typical response of obedience Rarity would usually get. It was pure defiance.

Rarity slowly turned around, glaring at the human once more. "You heard me." The two species stared down at each other, a draw to see who would speak up first. "Take our bags to our rooms." Rarity ordered.

The human girl gave Rarity a roguish grin, crossing her arms across her chest. "Do I look like a servant to you?" She wasn't wearing the white collared buttoned shirt, black vest, pants and loafers like the servers did. It was more artistic type than most. "I happen to be a passenger here, same as you. That stuff I was carrying, the paint that was spilt, it was mine. I was taking it to my room, the one I share with my friends," she motioned to the two unicorns on the balcony watching the event, debating if they should intervene or not. "Who were grateful enough include me on this vacation." She stood straight and proud in front of Rarity.

Now facing each other directly, the girl was as tall as Sweetie Belle, her eyes in line with Rarity's breasts. "I apologized for what is clearly an accident. You have no right treating me like some dog!"

Rarity's eyes widened at the accusation. The human girl was not backing down, practically daring her to do something drastic.

But luckily, Twilight and the other girls managed to defuse the situation before things escalated.

"Let's get to the cabins," Twilight quickly said to her.

"Yeah, it's not worth it." Rainbow Dash said. The others agreed.

Rarity gave one last nasty look at the human before giving a humph, flinging her mane back before she and the girls left. The servants followed, five of them since they were dragging Rarity's cart of clothes and whatnots.

Fluttershy turned to Rarity once they were away from the human girl. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yea, you were kinda a bitch back there, what's up with that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flew beside them.

"They certainly bring out the very worst in me, don't they…" Rarity mumbles underneath her breath.

"Do you want to go back and apologize? Or I can go talk to her?" Twilight then asked her.

"Certainly not!" she shouted, examining her dress. "This dress really is ruined. The fabric soaks up color like nothing else, and it's far too delicate to properly wash it out. Besides, it was only luck that that can of paint didn't hit one of us directly. That girl really needs to learn to be more careful."

"Are you sure? You look pretty torn up about this?"

Rarity turns to the princess and sighed. "My behavior was reprehensible, and I hate it. But nothing good will come from trying to force an apology right now. "

Twilight then nodded at her statement. "All right, if that's how you feel. How about we go find that bath?" She asked as all of them followed the servers up to the cabins ahead.

All but Spike.

He had stayed where he was as the girls left, watching them move along before turning to the human girl who was now looking up at the balcony at the two unicorns.

"You alright?" the purple one asked her.

"Yea, this wasn't as bad as usual." The girl sighed, shaking her head before a servant thrusts a mop and bucket at her, in a silent demand to clean up the mess before she caused more of a ruckus. She grabbed the mop handle, "go ahead and take my stuff to the room, I'll join in shortly."

"We can help." The teal unicorn offered. "It's what got you into this mess."

"Go, go unpack and have fun. I got a mess to clean." She said, waving the mop at them before getting started cleaning up the black paint.

Seeing no use arguing with her, the twins levitated the art supplies up in a combo of red and emerald auras, and left for the upper cabins above, leaving their friend mopping the deck.

Spike sighed softly, not knowing why her scent affecting him like this, but it drove him to go to the nearby supply closet and pull out some towels and cleaning bottles before joining up with the human to assist her.

"I got this, go with them," she said, seeing Spike spraying the railing of the steps with the cleaning solution and wiping the paint off with a rag.

"At least someone should help you," Spike said. "I get it, accidents happen." He kept on working. It was just how Spike was, always ready to lend a helping claw. And also more stubborn than this human. "I'm sorry about Rarity, normally she isn't…"

"Bitchy?" she asked. Spike frowned at that term, causing the girl to sigh. "Sorry, I tend to speak the first thing that comes to mind. Gets me in tight situations at times."

"You're not the only one," he said.

As they worked, Spike couldn't help but look at the band logo on her shirt and smiled softly. "You like Skullen Fangs?" he asked. It was a hard gothic metal band. Not many ponies enjoy them because some of their songs were dark and gruesome. Damn near sexual sometimes too. Twilight had to constantly tell him to turn his music down. The other girls couldn't stand them. Even Rainbow Dash didn't like them.

"Oh?" She looks at her shirt and grinned before looking back at him. "They're my favorite band in all of Equestria! Got this baby at their concert."

Spike looked at her with eyes big like dinner platters. "Holy shit, I've been trying to get tickets to go see them for years, how by Celestia did you score those? They're more expensive than fire rubies!"

She chuckled, "one of my friends, Ruby, the teal unicorn on the balcony, she was dating one of the stagehands and he gave her some tickets."

"You are so lucky." He laughed softly. "You're just about the only pony besides me who even likes them."

"I'm human, not a pony." She grinned. "Get your eyes checked."

"I can see very clearly."

They chuckled and soon the Zeppelin began moving away from the dock. The ship flew into the sky and the dock was out of sight before they knew it. Their first day on the zeppelin was officially starting. They soon finished cleaning the black mess, leaving the deck and stairs good as new.

"Well, my fellow Skullen Fangs follower, this is where we part ways," the human said, putting the mob and bucket back in the closet. "I'm sure your harem of lovely ladies are waiting for you."

Spike blushed pure red by that statement. "W-what?"

The girl giggled. "Seven girls, one guy, someone's gonna get some," she teased, motioning in the direction his friends had gone.

"N-no!" He blurted out. "I'm no–they aren't." Spike scratched the spikes on his neck. "It's not what you think, th-they're–"

"I'm joking," the girl smirked, giving him a playful push. "See you around." She walked away from him with a chuckle and went up the stairs.

Spike blinked before walked towards the steps, a hand gripping at the railing. "Hey, what's your name?" he called up to her. She was halfway up the stairs already when she heard him.

With a slight turn of her head, Spike could see a smile forming. "Rachel." She replied.

"I'm Spike." Spike introduced himself.

"See you around, Spike. If you wanna hook up sometimes, big guy, come find me." With a slight wave of her hand, she walked the rest of the way up and disappearing at the top. Her scent still lingering.

His wings flexed slightly as he watched her leave. "Rachel.." He whispered her name softly, unaware of his pupils shrinking as he took it in. It lasted only a moment before he shook his head before walking away.

Spike and the girls enjoyed their time the rest of the first day on the ship . Rarity, after having her melodramatic meltdown and having bathed, had forgotten all about the human and was finally enjoying herself.

Rarity, Fluttershy and Starlight Glimmer lay on the lounged chairs. Fluttershy was wearing a green one piece suit with a beach hat, holding Angel Bunny in her arms. Starlight had on a simple white and purple striped bikini, relaxing with a book in her hand and Rarity wore a stunningly sexy two piece while laying on her stomach enjoying Celestia's sun. AppleJack, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash where playing volleyball. All sporting either one pieces like Twilight and Pinkie, who also wore floaties on her arms, or shorts with bikini tops like AJ and Dash.

Spike sat on the deck watching the girls enjoy themselves, each on their own way while munching on a bowl of gems he had brought on board. He wore a pair of orange and green swim shorts and a tank top. He was enjoying seeing Twilight actually doing something active instead of reading. After the current game he would want to play as well.

His eyes glanced to the side toward Rarity. He eyed the subtle curves she brought, her tail swishing softly in contentment. Ideas and fantasies went through his head, causing him to lick his lips and growl softly.

"Spikie," Rarity sang his name.

"Y-yes Rarity?" Spike quickly snapped out of it.

Rarity sat up slightly, reaching into her beach bag and pulled out a bottle of sun lotion. "Would you mind putting on another coat? I wouldn't want to get burned, darling."

"Sure!" He might have been a little too eager. He shot up from his seat, leaving his gems behind to get by Rarity's side. She hands him the lotion and lie back down on her stomach. Spike then noticed that her top was untied. His heart jumped slightly.

"Just a little bit, darling," Rarity cooed softly. "The whole back and shoulders if you will."

With a gulp and a silent prayer that he could control himself, he poured some of the sun lotion onto his hand before reaching down and start rubbing it all over the mare's back. His claws massaging through the soft fur, all the way down her spine, between her shoulder blades and shoulders.

"Ooh," Rarity moaned softly, her shoulders relaxed, feeling her pent up stress fading away from Spike's work. "This is soooo fantastic, Spike, a little lower if you please." She groaned at the pressure his hands were going at.

Spike did what he was told like the good dragon he was, his hands slowly drifting further down. He loved hearing the cute moans and purrs Rarity was making. As he massaged her, he glanced over at her tight rump sticking out of that thong, and he couldn't help licking his lips as his cock groaned in his shorts.

Damnit Spike, pull yourself together, Spike scolded himself, tearing his eyes away from her ass and looking at his other friends.

Think about something else, Spike. Come on, focus on something else. Anything for Celestia sakes. The weather! Think of the weather! The dragon looks up to the sky. It was a partially cloudy. The breeze felt nice, the humidity not so much. He thought among other things like hoofball; his next guys night out and thinking of what his character Garbunkle would do next to defeat the dreaded squid; anything, just about anything he could think that doesn't involve staring at Rarity's ass and having sexual fantasies.

Her fucking cute moans and coos from him massaging her wasn't helping him one bit!

"Heads up!" Dash warned before smacking the ball in her hand hard. The force of it caused Twilight to shout and jump out of the way.

Pinkie ended up jumping in front of Twilight and caught the ball with her poofy tail, spinning around in place before throwing the ball back with it. The ball soared across the court and right off the ship.

"Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash sighed, seeing that they lost their ball. "I got it."

"I got it." Spike interrupted, getting up from his spot as fast as he could, getting some space from Rarity.

"Thank you, Spikie Wikie!" Rarity called him out as Spike spread his wings - when fully unfurled spanned twenty feet - and flew off. Once clear of the deck, he pumped his wings and dove as fast as he could..

He dropped off the ship at an alarming rate, reaching for the ball just as it passed through a first layer of clouds. With a huff, he flew back to the ship and tossed it back to the girls.

"Thanks, Spike." Rainbow told him.

"THANK YOU, SPIKE!" Pinkie said loudly to him. Twilight, who happened to be right next to her, flung her ears back from how loud her friend was.

Spike nodded before going back to Rarity, to see if she would like to continue the massage. He got to where she was and stopped.

There was a pegasus sitting next to her and both of them were laughing.

"Oh Trotter! You are still as funny as ever, love." Rarity giggled at him. "I cannot believe it's been ages since we had last talked."

Trotter chuckled. "Since our foal days at school. I can't believe I ended up running into you."

Spike cleared his throat, getting them attention. "Hello." he then said.

"Hi," Trotter said before looking at Spike and jumped a bit on seeing that he was a dragon.

"Oh Spike, this is Trotter MidSummertin," Rarity said, introducing. "He and I were old schoolmates. Trotter, this dashing lad here is Spike."

"It's a pleasure." Trotter then smiled before holding out a hand to him.

Spike automatically grabbed his hand and gave him a shook.

"Youzers! That's a strong grip." The stallion chuckled nervously, shaking his hand as he got it back.

"Sorry," Spike said quickly.

"It's not a problem," Rarity giggled. "Trotter here was just telling me that he's an investor and was interested in investing my shops."

"With her shops up in running, an investment would go a long ways. A smart one too." Trotter then looks at Rarity and smiled. "And besides, I'd do anything if it means to help someone like her. If it wasn't for her, I'd never got the courage to start my own firm."

"Oh stop it you." Rarity says, giving him a playful push on his arm. "You're making me blush. I only gave you some encouragement. You were the smartest colt in our grade."

Soon enough Spike felt like a third wheel as the two continued to trade compliments. "I'm gonna do something, sorry to interrupt." Spike said before he turns and walked away. He couldn't help but hear Rarity giggle. He went a few feet more before looking over his shoulder and saw Rarity placing a hand on Trotter's arm.

A twinge of jealousy hits Spike like a brick. Rarity was flirting with her old schoolmate.

"Hey Spike!" Applejack called out for him. "Twilight here is about to pass out, switch places with her. if ya don't mind."

"Yeah, Spike, join us!" Pinkie Pie giggled, the volleyball bouncing off her tail. Twilight was leaning over the side with her top half collapsed against the rail and the rest of her in a puddle at the base of the wall.

"Yeah, alright." Spike said. He looked back at Rarity and the stallion with her before forcefully tearing himself away from them and went to join his other friends.

The day was nothing but fun in the sun, have time and relaxation. Spike enjoyed himself. There was nothing like Windsurfing, volleyball and sunbathing - though with his scales he wouldn't get a tan like the others here. He had fun.

Throughout the day, Spike would try and get close to Rarity but he could never get her alone again as guys who were interested in her seemed to be just waiting in line to come up and talk to her. Rarity, being Rarity, would give them attention, give them subtle touches, or a flip of her hair. Laughing at their jokes. He knew it was just how the mare was, always flirting. She was just being friendly with them. It was always how she was. Spike, however, couldn't help but get jealous. He tried his best to get near her, but she's always sending him away, either getting her and her new "friends" drinks and snacks or they would be having some small talk and some guy would come and she would talk to him instead of the dragon. Spike wanted more time with her. He knew he had a whole week but…

Sweet fucking Luna this was annoying! Spike had done his best to make do with what he had, but all day he wasn't able to spend time with her.

Hopefully after tonight, things will change, he hoped.

Later that night, the Zeppelin's captain was throwing a party for his son and every passenger was invited. Formal dress of course.

Spike was in his room getting ready - yeah he ended up getting his own room after the girls shared three other rooms, which sucked but he quickly got over it. He wore an elegant black tuxedo that he bought for this special occasion.

The white shirt he wore wasn't tight, but just snug enough that it showed off his well built frame. The jacket fit over his purple and green wings due to slits being cut on the back. Spike had been forced to custom order it, as pegasus style clothing simply wasn't made in his size. The matching pants were fitted perfectly as were his black suede shoes. A bright blue tie, perfectly matching the color of Rarity's eyes would have finished his outfit, if he could get it tied properly.

Spike grunted as he fumbled about with the tie. Twilight's father and Shining Armor had taught him how to do this many times, but he still couldn't get it right.

"Lemme help," Twilight announced as she walked in. He turned around and saw her in a blue evening gown. It was simple, reminding him a certain Grand Galloping Gala dress she wore years ago, with her mane in a tight bun.

With a slight nod, Twilight walked over to him and stood on her tiptoes to fix his tie.

"You look very handsome, Spike," She complimented him.

"Thank you," Spike said with a grin.

"You ready?"

"Gimme a second," he replied before walking over to the dresser and pulling the top drawer out. Inside was a small blue velvet lined box with gold hinges. He grabbed the box, flipping the lid open with his thumb as he pulled it out. Sitting tucked into a tiny pillow was a princess cut diamond ring. The band was silver and, if the measurements were right, it was the perfect size for a very specific mare.

He had sold half of his delicious rare gem stash just to get enough bits to buy this ring. The store clerk had looked at him like he was making a mistake, probably thinking he was too young to even consider marriage. Spike didn't care and had made the purchase.

With a confident grin, he flipped the lid closed and tucked the box inside the pocket in his jacket before turning to Twilight. "Let's go," He said with a nod.

Linking arms with her, Spike lead Twilight to the party deck.

Colorful lights were strung between posts, and lively classical music was played by server ponies. The atmosphere was perfect.

His friends wore beautiful dresses, all fitting their personalities to a tee. Rarity, like always, outshined them all. Spike's wings shot opent, displaying his interest for the world to see.

Rarity wore a midnight blue dress. She had a solid back covering, with two strips of cloth draped over her shoulders, across her chest and back around to her back, exposing her midriff. Her ample breasts were barely, just barely covered. And looking closely, her nipples could be seen pushing through the thin cloth. The dress draped down to her ankles, and was only held together by a thin gold belt. A slit high on either side allowed her three diamond cutie mark to peak through, and her black heels had ribbons that wrapped up her calf. She accessorised with only a gold diadem featuring a perfect diamond on her brow, sitting just below her white horn. Her purple mane was in elegant curls, looking even softer than usual.

She looked liked a bonafide fucking Goddess!

Her horn was engulfed in its blue aura as he saw her, levitating a glass of sparkling wine from a server passing by with a tray. She grabbed it by the neck as it came to her and took a drink, laughing at whatever joke Pinkie Pie told.

A few snickers came from the other passengers who noticed him. Twilight stood on her tiptoes to tap on his shoulder and whispered. "Spike!"

"H-huh?" Spike squeaked out, his face flushed pure red seeing Rarity, eyes glued to her.

"Spike!" Twilight whispered loudly. "Control yourself! Your wings!"

Spike blinked before seeing his wings were flared out, completely filling the doorway and stopped only by the frame. "Shit," he growled, completely embarrassed. Twilight helped him push his wings down, and Spike was just grateful that the bulge pushing through his pants wasn't nearly as noticable.

Geez Spike, you're so pathetic, Spike scolded himself. First on the deck and now here?

After a moment of getting things straightened - and Twilight subtly shoving a cube of ice into the membrane of his wing - Spike finally got his wingboner straightened out, getting himself controlled once more. He and Twilight went to join in with the others.

"Oh Pinkie, I say you are quite hysterical this evening!" Rarity laughed.

"Thanks!" The cotton candy mare giggled before looking at Spike and her eyes widened. "Ooh! Spike! Looking good in the neighborhood!"

Spike grinned, getting his wing situation out of his head and return to his normal stature. "Thank you, I try my best."

"Ya clean yerself up mighty fine there." AJ smirked, tipping her embroidered stetson back.

"Kind of have to when I'm with such beautiful ladies." He held his jacket and beaming with pride. Was his ego coming into play? Probably.

Spike looked around, seeing Fluttershy at the buffet with Angel Bunny, who was also decked out for the party. Starlight Glimmer was talking to a green earth stallion, with a short aquamarine mane and tail who was dressed in a white uniform. Probably Sea Sun. Rainbow Dash was over talking to the musicians, likely asking if they could play something else.

"Spike, would you like to have this dance?"

He blinked to whoever spoke.

"Spike?"

He looked as Rarity, who was looking back at him with those gorgeous, bedroom eyes of hers. "Spikie Wikey, would you like to dance with me?"

"Sure, Rarity." Spike smiled, extending a claw out to her. At least, that's what he did on the outside.

On the inside however, he was having a major celebration. OH MY GOSH! RARITY WANTS TO DANCE WITH ME! In his mind he was squealing in pure joy, and his wings wanted to flap in excitement, but he tried to play cool for her.

Rarity grabbed his hand and Spike led her to the dance floor. When they got to the floor, he placed his right hand firmly, but gently, on her waist. He took her hand and held itas he began to lead.

Spike had spent years learning how to ballroom dance when he was invited to the Galloping Gala. He was quite good, so good in fact he learned other ways of dancing. He developed a love for it. But never before had he had a chance to dance with the Goddess who was now in his arms.

Rarity was quite impressed on his moves, a bemused smile on her velvet lips. "Spike, I didn't know you were such a dancer. I must say I am impressed."

Spike grinned before giving Rarity a twirl and pulling her back to him with confidence. She lit up with laughter at the display of skill. "I practiced."

The two stared into each other's eyes as they danced, moving along with the gentle beat of the music. To Spike, they were alone in the room, and the music faded to non-existence. To him, it was just the two of them in all of Equestria In the whole world.

When the music came to the end, Rarity placed a hand over her heart and chuckled, "My, all this dancing is making me parched, Spike, be a dear and fetch me something to drink, please?"

Spike nodded. "Sure," He said before removing himself from the mare to fill her request.

"Having fun?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at him. She was dressed in a lovely emerald green, over the shoulder dress with a flowing skirt. Pink butterflies along the fabric that matched her long mane and tail.

"Definitely." Spike answered with a smile.

As they chatted, a stallion stumbled into the buffet table, drunk out of his mind. Chips and dip were flung all over, some landing on the Fluttershy's lovely dress. Fluttershy gasped loudly, holding Angel tightly against her small chest.

"Hey," Spike glared at the stallion.

But the stallion didn't acknowledge the dragon as he turned to his friend talking to her with horribly slurred words. "Hhhhheeeyyyyy therrrre sweet thang," the stallion chuckled, wobbling in place. "Yer kinda sexy," he said as he made a grab for her.

Spike caught the stallion's arm with a bone crushing grip, causing him to cry out from the heat resonated from Spike's hand. It was an ability he had learned from Ember. He could generally burn anyone he touched.

"She's not interested." Spike growled softly, a warning.

"Heeey duuude, yer hurtin' meh!" The stallion whined, tried to pull away but the more he struggles, the harder Spike's hold gets and the hotter his heat gets.

"You haven't seen hurtin' yet if you keep harassing my friends." He growled. "Now, go up to your room and sober up." With that, he let go of the stallion.

The stallion whimpered as he stumbled away on shaking knees, holding his arm close to his chest. Spike had very carefully controlled the heat he was generating. The drunk's sleeve wouldn't be burnt at all, but on his arm there was going to be a red claw print. It would go away in a few days if he put it on ice.

Spike gathered Rarity's drink and ushered Fluttershy away from the buffet table.

"Thank you, Spike." Fluttershy said, moving a stray hair out of her face. "But you didn't have to hurt him."

"He would've hurt you."

"I could have handled it. But that doesn't mean I'm ungrateful! I am! Grateful, that is." Fluttershy quickly said.

Spike chuckled softly. "I know," he said with a smile.

He gave Fluttershy a quick parting hug before going back towards the mare who held his heart. He found her outside on the balcony, chatting with a few other stallions. His body started steaming in jealousy upon seeing them around her. He was about to chase those guys out when two mares, unicorns, approached them.

Spike recognized them as Ruby and her sister. They weren't dressed in formal clothing looked angry. Both were holding wine glasses filled to the brim.

Spike stopped when they came up to Rarity.

"Excuse me." The purple mare announced, looking at Rarity.

"Yes darling?" Rarity chuckled, just after hearing a joke from her suitors and turning to the two. She too recognized them. "You two were from this morning's…. incident." Her mood turned soured quickly.

"You had the nerve of insulting our best friend." Ruby stated.

"She apologized for the accident. You didn't have to make it worse just because she's human." The other chipped in.

Rarity took a sip from a glass she already had, making the one Spike held feel heavy. She turned to the girls. "My dears, you've chosen your friends poorly. You yourselves witnessed her typically bruteish human behaviour this morning. That typical human disregard for anyone aside from themselves, and that appalling arrogance when called out on such rotten behavior. My own actions may leave much to be desired, but from what I can tell, she deserves every insult I gave and more!" Rarity was practically snarling by the time she was done.

The purple unicorn glared at her with a hiss. "You miserable little bitch!"

Rarity gasped as the twins tossed the contents of their glasses on her, irrevocably ruining her marvelous dress.

Time stood still as Rarity stood in the middle of the ball room, dripping with wine. Then she shrieked, causing the stallions to back away from her. The twins high-fived each other before walking off as Rarity's admirers made themselves scarce.

Twilight and the others came up to Rarity with tissues to try to wipe down f her dress. Luckily the fabric was extremely dark so no one could actually see the stain in the low lighting.

Spike watched the twins walked off and looked back at Rarity. Why the Hell hadn't he move to help Rarity? Why did he just stand there with his tail up his ass and not do shit? He watched the others for a moment before putting the wine glass down and approaching them.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked Rarity.

"That wasn't very nice." Pinkie pie said.

"What a couple of jerks." RD said, glaring at the two as they disappeared.

"Whatever their reasons, this just shows how uncivilized those two have gotten." Rarity grunted, furiously dabbing a particularly wet spot on her gown.

"At least the stain won't show." Applejack said assuring.

"Maybe not right now, but it will. And this dress isn't washable," Rarity groaned, "Can this day get any worse?"

That's when Spike found his window. "Maybe it doesn't...maybe it can only get better from here on out?"

"What are you talking about, Spike?" Rarity snapped.

All his friends were here. This was in front of everypony, in front of Luna's moon.

He approached to her, grabbing her hand and held it in both of his hands. "Rarity, from here on out, every day will be better, better than before. You have your friends, you have me."

The girls watched curiously as Spike continued. "Rarity, you are the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria. That's a fact. You are kind, generous, perfect in any way."

"Spike…." Rarity muttered softly, touched by his kind, sweet words.

"I'm sorry that those mares ruined your dress. I'll make sure they won't do it again...or let any other pony hurt you." Spike took a deep breath. "Rarity, I love you." He gets down on one knee, takes one hand away from Rarity's and dig into his coat and pulls out the ring and opens it.

Twilight, her friends, and pretty much everyone in the cruise gasped or let out a quiet 'awww' as they watched this sweet proposal. Rarity just stood dumbfounded.

"Rarity, will you marry me?" Spike asked her. His eyes filled with love and honesty, his brave facade faded and he poured all his heart onto this one moment. One moment that could change their lives forever.

One moment passed, nothing.

Another, no one spoke.

Another moment with only the sounds of a cricket chirping in that awkward silence.

When Rarity opened her mouth, Spike's hopes were as high as they could be…

Until she spoke. "Oh Spike….I-I'm sorry, but I can't accept your proposal."

"What?" Spike asked hesitatingly. He wasn't sure what he just heard.

Crack.

The sounds of his heart cracked, there was a slight ringing in Spike's ears.

Rarity sighed, wiping down the wet spot of her dress. "Spike, I said no. I don't want to marry you."

"Rarity, what are you doing?" Fluttershy asked her.

Crack!

This louder crack rang in the dragon's ears. His heart started to ache, a sharp pain which caused him to tremble softly.

Rarity sighed again, only this time annoyed. "I'm stating the fact that this is how I feel. I am not thinking of getting married when I just got my dress ruined by those uncivilized brutes." She looked at Spike, seeing the look on his face. "Spike, I don't love the way you love me." she shook her head. "It was cute when you were a baby, I thought you would grow out of it. I guess not. I'll have to be blunt.

"Spike, you are still a child. You'll never get any pony to be with you if you keep acting like a love sick pup."

Their friends gasp in unison.

"Damn, that was cold." Rainbow Dash murmured.

"Hmmhemmm." Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement.

"Rarity!" Twilight growled at her.

"What? I am just being honest." Rarity said before straightening up, muttering to herself that she needed to get this washed. "Spike needed to hear this, I am not apologizing-"

CRACK!

Spike's pupils dilated to slits. Rarity's comment was cut off by a ferocious, feral growl coming out of the dragon. All eyes were now on him. The suit he was wearing began smoking.

"Whoa there, Spike," Aj said, tilting her hat back when seeing the growling creature as he slowly stood up.

"Spike…" Twilight whispered softly as Fluttershy was slowly backing away from Spike.

Right then, the other girls were not in the room, no other pony was even in his sight and mind. The only pony Spike saw was Rarity.

And his vision was blood red.

"You think I'm a child?" The voice coming from Spike wasn't his. That sweet, helpful Spike, that perfect assistant of Twilight Sparkle, the fucking butt of every joke, snide remark, a damn punching bag.

That Spike, right then, was gone.

He used the thumb to close the lid of the box, leaving an indentation in the softened metal, and glared at Rarity, who was giving him the same, dismissive look she gives to other ponies, all the stallions that she discards. A look of annoyance. A look of judgment.

"I spent years tagging along beside you. Getting your gems from the Diamond Dogs Carrying your bags. Helping with your dresses. Being used as a mannequin. Being at your at every beck and call." He clicked softly against his teeth. "I never once complained about anything..., you used me."

"You didn't have to stay by my hip, Spike." Rarity said, crossing her arms across her chest. "I gave you plenty of chances to make other choices. You seemed to enjoy it."

Some part of Spike knew that the other girls were speaking, but he blocked all of them out. His hand closed on the ring box, crumpling it into a useless mess.

"I thought, maybe if you were to give me a chance, you'd see that I'm anything but a kid…" He trembled, his face darkened. He refused to let tears flow down from his eyes. "You...you…."

"Spike, I think we-"

"You judgmental, hypocritical bitch!" he shouted with a roar that shook the zeppelin. He threw the box at her with all his might.

Dash quickly zipped in to grab Rarity and had her pulled to the side as the box flew over the edge and disappeared to the abyss below.

Spike spread his wings, letting them give huge flap, causing him to fly in the air and disappeared off into the dark.

His rage carried him off across the huge ship to the other side, where he landed on an abandoned balcony. Balling up his claws into a fist, he let out a monstrous roar that echoed within the night. Eventually, he before slumped against the flimsy rail and shuddered as his shattered heart continued to cruelly shred him from the inside.

At an open window, a shadowy figure stood vigil over the disparing dragon from afar.


	2. Day Two

If Spike wasn't in foul mood before, the gruesome hangover he woke with soured his state of mind. After getting his heart shattered by Rarity, he ended up finding his way to the bar, where he tried in vain to drink away the memory of that terrible night.

How Spike ended up back in his room was a mystery. One he'll figure out as soon as his head stops pounding. The sounds of the seagulls outside felt like sledge hammers banging against his skull. Grabbing a pillow, he pulled it over his head to muffle the sounds.

Not bothering to look at the annoying ticking clock on the wall, Spike went to drift back asleep. He wanted nothing more than to sleep through the entire cruise and just go back home.

Three steady knocks against the door pulled a growl from Spike. It was Twilight. He could always recognized the way she knocked.

"Spike, are you up yet?" she asked through the door.

Spike reached for the lamp on the nightstand with his tail. A quick flick yanked the lamp through the air and flung it towards the door. He didn't care that he missed, or that he left a dent in the cabin wall. He just remained sprawled out on the bed, not bothering to get up.

"I did not drag your butt back up here so you could have a harsh attitude with me," Twilight said before opening the door and coming inside. She sighed as she contemplated his behavior, considering his attitude concerning his situation. "Spike…"

"Twilight, go away...," he grumbled, not acknowledging her. Not even looking in her direction.

The princess placed a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowed and her muzzle scrunched up. If Spike had been looking, he would have recognized the pose. Twilight had made a decision. "Spike, I'm not going to let you stay up here. Yes, things went bad last night with Rarity–." She sighed before dropping her hand. A moment later the soothing hum of her magic filled the room, and her pink aura engulfed the sandalwood dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans, a simple green t-shirt, and a grey hoodie. Discoloration had taken hold on the knees of the comfortable jeans from years of wear and tear. Twilight ensured they were folded neatly as levitated them to the mattress.

"Yes, things got bad, but you can't let what happened last night affect the rest of the week."

Spike rolled his eyes, hauling himself upright on the bed as the blanket slid down to his lap. There was a moment of silence as the two looked at each other. Twilight had just parted her lips to speak when a pillow was thrown at her. It collided with her face and sent her to staggering back.

"Wha-what?!" she gawked dumbfoundedly.

The drake lay back on the bed and threw the blanket over his head as he bunched his body into a tight ball.

The left eye of Twilight's twitched. Her lips curled up with a little snarl. It was a pose that Spike would have recognized instantly had he been looking. "Spike…" the sound of her voice reverberated unnaturally through the room as the muffled hum of her magic caused Spike to snap his eyes open.

"Oh no…," he whimpered.

Outside Spike's cabin, a few ponies were leaving their rooms to start the day. They were thinking of what activities they could do when all of a sudden a door was engulfed in bright pink aura. The ponies in the hall felt the floor shake, and the pictures on the walls banged as they fell from their hooks. Sparkling pink smoke seamingly seeped out from under the door. 

"Owowowow! Twi! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Spike's pleading voice could be heard clearly through the door. 

"You don't have to give me such an attitude when I didn't do anything!" Twilight shouted. The Princess of Friendship may have had other things to say as well, the kind of things that mothers would cover their children's ears for, but most passengers were kind enough to pretend not to hear. 

To the ones who were not so kind and chose to stop at the door and listen, the sounds of wood snapping, glass shattering, and for some reason, the sound of a chicken caw-cawing loudly rang from within the cabin. The sounds of violence coming from the room were made the passengers think strange, and some worrying thoughts on just what was going down in that cabin. 

Then it suddenly became quiet. Even the faint sounds of the ship's machinery could be heard through the walls. The ticking sounds of a clock counting off the seconds were deafening. A moment later, the door knob turned and the door swung open. With a stern look only some pony with high authority would make strides out of the room. though her her hair in a tangled mess, Twilight walks out of the room with her head held high. 

Floating in mid-air behind the princess came Spike, fully covered in Twilight's magical aura and neatly dressed in the clothes that she had picked out for him. His eyes were in a daze and his arms hanging limply as he was being pulled out of the cabin without resistance. 

Twilight was in full Princess Mode as she carried Spike to the restaurant area where their friends had mostly gathered. Fluttershy, Rainbow, AJ and Pinkie were waiting at a round white linen cloth table. Starlight and Rarity had yet to arrive for breakfast. The eggs and pancakes smelled exquisite, and assortments of coffee and juice were also offered.

Twilight unceremoniously dropped Spike into a seat. "Now, we are going to sit down and eat," The Princess said as she took a seat between him and Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie was already face first into the pancakes; syrup, berries, and whipped cream bulging out of her puffy pink cheeks. "Morning guys!" She said with her cheeks full of food.

"Good morning, Twilight. Good morning, Spike," Fluttershy greeted the two with a smile while feeding Angel Bunny his favorite salad.

"Mornin'," AJ greeted as well.

"You okay, dude?" Rainbow asked Spike while she fed Tank a slice of tomato. The direct question had Applejack and Twilight glaring at her.

"Where are Rarity and Starlight?" Twilight asked, shaking her head at RD before picking up a glass of cool, frothy orange juice and taking a sip.

"They said they're coming," Pinkie said, pausing to lick the whipped cream off her face. "Starlight was having trouble getting Rarity out of bed. At least that's what she said."

Spike let out a huff. He did not believe that for a minute. Rarity was probably taking extra time to ensure her makeup was just perfect for all the boys she would be flirting with. The dragon sat back in his chair and let the girls discussion fade into the background. He couldn't stand the fact he was going to be sitting at the same table, or even be in the same room as Rarity. The pain in his heart was still too fresh, his chest hurt just thinking about it. Twilight scooted a plate of food to him, wordlessly urging him to put something in his stomach.

The dragon used his tail to nudge the plate back towards her as he slumped further into his chair. He pulled the hood over his spikes and horns and avoided eye contact with any of the girls.

Spike didn't know what he had been drinking the night before, but whatever it was still had his head in a vice. The sunlight found every reflective surface to stab into his eyes, and the dining ponies and human servers was causing his head to feel as if elephants were doing a conga line through his cerebral cortex. His pathetic attempt to drink his problems away was coming back to bite him in the tail. Everything around him was only worsening his mood.

The girls quickly ran out of polite conversation and sat in silence as they contemplated how to go through this situation with him. The events that happened last night were bad. Rarity was going to waltz in any second, and with the dragon's harsh attitude... If things didn't get resolved soon, the friendship between Spike and Rarity could be destroyed.

Moments passed, and the girls looked at each other, egging one or the other to be the first to speak. Away from Spike's sunken reptilian eyes, two of them had their hands behind the cloth table as they played rock-paper-scissors to see who would go first. After three rounds, it was Applejack the Element of Honesty, who got to speak.

The orange mare looked towards Spike, quietly thinking of what to declare before sighing. "So, uh, Spike, how are you feeling?" she started.

The only result was the dragon turning his head away from Applejack and grunting.

The farmer scratched her golden locks under her leathery stetson and thought of what to say next. When Applejack finally located the precise words, she spoke. "Listen, about last night, things got... out of hand, so to speak." AJ lowered her hands and braced herself on the table. She tried to distract herself a little by feeling the silky smoothness coming of the fabric between her fingers. "What Rarity did, in terms on how she acted towards yer proposal, it was uncalled for. Ah see why ya acted like that when she said those things to you."

Spike was slowly straightening in his seat as his head cocked slightly in the farmer's direction.

"But, then again, Ah can also see it from her perspective."

"Applejack!" Twilight hissed.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Spike gutturally asked, casting his friend a menacing glare.

"Um, I thought we were meant to talk him down, not stir him up," RD said to AJ.

"What Ah'm saying is this." Applejack faced Spike, standing up from her seat and leaning against the table towards him. "Spike, there is a time and place to do these things. Proposing to a girl right after something bad happens to her, like getting her gown ruined by wine being tossed at her, is just plain a bad idea. Rarity wasn't in the mood to hear you." Element of Honesty? More like Element of Brutality. "Yeh, she said things in a really bad way, but she wasn't thinking straight. Yer mad, Ah get it. But what you did at the party was uncalled for too. Y–"

"Screw you, Applejack!" Spike spat out as he abruptly stood up, chair screeching back against the floor. A wisp of black smoke seeped out of his flared nostrils. His lips curled up in a snarl. "No one asked for your fuckin' opinion." He said as his fists clenched at his sides.

"Okay, okay, calm down everypony." Twilight stood up as well in hopes to defuse this quickly. "Thank you AJ for that but that's enough."

"What? Let me finish, he needs to hear this!" AJ said, gesturing at Spike.

"Now, now, there's no need to get all worked up." Fluttershy said, reaching out for Spike, placing a hand on his shoulder before the dragon shrugged her off. She quickly pulled her hand back and held it against her chest. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," She squeaked, her ears drooping.

Fluttershy's action brought the argument to a screeching halt. A server took advantage of the quiet moment to approach the table. "Is there a problem?" he asked, visibly nervous about addressing the angry party. Especially the agitated dragon towering over everyone..

"I certainly hope there isn't." a new voice chimed in. One that reignited Spike's anger and frustration, which Fluttershy had so recently begun to calm. Rarity and Starlight had finally made their way to the table.

"Sorry we're late," Starlight said."We had a bit of a hold up with the hot water situation," she gave the white mare a look.

"What? I need to look my best,," Rarity said, giving the unicorn a smirk in return. She looked to Spike. "Good morning, darling."

Spike let out a snarl before leaving the table without a word.

Starlight sighed and looked to the other girls. "Bad?" She asked.

"Very." Pinkie Pie replied.

"All I said was a good morning," Rarity shook her head before looking at the human server. Since most of the serving staff were humans, she might as well make them useful. "Well since you're here, fetch me a fresh yolk-free spinach omelette, hold the tomato."

"Right away." The server said before taking off to fulfill her order. 

The other ponies at the table looked to each other before looking back at Rarity. "What?" she asked them.

"I think you need to apologize to Spike," Fluttershy spoke up immediately.

"For what, exactly?" Rarity asked as she checked her complection in a compact mirror.

"For being so mean to him last night." Flutters said.

"Fluttershy, darling, I stand by what I said. I'm not going to marry him." Rarity said, continuing to touch up her appearance.

"Ugh, not the marrying him thing! Apologize for how you said it," Rainbow said, "No offense, Rare, but you were a total bitch last night."

"Well I never!" Rarity put the mirror down on the table. "I may have been a bit harsh, but what's done is done. I can't believe he put me on the spot like that! There is a time and a place to do such thing and that was neither the time nor the place for a proposal."

"That's what Ah just said." AJ muttered.

"He's feeling as if he was being used all these years," Twilight said. "Just apologize to him."

"You remember the last time he was in this sort of a foul mood? When you told him he couldn't go to that rowdy mosh pit or whatever it was called at Crue Fest? He was angry for weeks before he let it go. Give Spike time and he'll come back to his senses." Rarity pointed out to Twilight.

"I think this is different." Starlight chimed in.

"This is much different than the music festival." Pinkie Pie said. "He would've sat with us to eat his pancakes back then. You gotta say sorry before we lose him forever!" The pink pony reached over the table, getting into Rarity's face. [size=2em]"WE CAN'T LOSE HIM FOREVER! SAY YOU'RE SORRY!"[/size]

Rarity scoffed, pushing Pinkie gently back. "You girls are making such a big deal out of this. Fine, I'll go apologize to him."

The server chose that time to return with Rarity's order. The white mare looked at her plate and sighed. "I asked for a spinach and yolk-free omelette. This omelette has barley and herb and I can see the yolk clear as day."

"I-I'm so sorry, Ma'am. I'll get this corrected right away!" he said.

She lay a hand on her head and shook it. "When I get back, I want my omelette made as I requested, understand?"

The server nodded and retreated back to the kitchen.

Rarity turned to the girls. "I'm off now. I shall return shortly," she said before her heels clicked away.

Not far away, Spike leaned against the airship railing. The morning rays of the sun reflected off his scales. A faint haze of steam rose could be seen in the sunlight. It was warm outside, but it was his boiling anger that kept him hot enough to evaporate the humidity out of the air.

He just stared over the rail as he tried to calm himself. The Zeppelin was now flying over the sea. Spike could make out the entrance to the sea ponies/hippogriff kingdom. It wouldn't be long until they arrived at their destination.

Grunting, Spike tugged off his hoodie and tied it around his waist. Ember had warned him about getting too angry. Dragons heat up when angered, and more of their primal instincts come out. If he didn't do something to cool him off, he'll burn up. Or worse, act out. Dammit to Tartarus, it was hot.

Hearing water splashing behind him, Spike looks over his shoulder and saw some ponies playing in a pool just ten meters from where he was standing.

Maybe a swim would be enough to cool~

"Ah, there you are!"

Shit.

Rarity was walking towards him, her chest rising and falling heavily. "You sure are a tough one to track down in this ship, darling." She fixed her hair with her hand, smoothing out the strays.

Pushing himself off of the rail, Spike briskly walked away from Rarity. Any thought of going to the pool was gone.

"Spike, I'm trying to talk to you," Rarity called out, following in pursuit. "You can't avoid me forever."

'I can sure as hell try,' he thought as he kept on walking.

Huffing in frustration, Rarity grabbed for his arm. "Now, honestly, you're acting like such a foal with this attitude of yours."

Spike snapped around, ripping his arms out of her reach. "What the Hell do you want, Rarity? Haven't you said enough already?"

"Look, I'm sorry for declining your offer for marriage, Spikey, but I am simply not ready to settle down. With my Fillydelphia store opening soon and the fashion show coming in a matter of days, my career is at the cusp of truely taking off. I have more important things to do than plan a wedding."

Spike blinked at what she said. Hearing it echoing in his ears before he let out a dark humorless laugh, causing Rarity to narrow her eyes at the drake. "And what, pray tell, is so funny? I am trying to apologize."

He shook his head as he continued laughing, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "Y-you think that's what this is about? You think that's the problem? You rejecting me?" His body trembled as he laughed at that statement of hers. Spike pulled his hand away from his face and glared at Rarity. The look was enough to make the her stagger back. "Element of Generosity my ass."

"Spike, there is no need to be crass."

"Crass? HAH!" He barked at that. "Crass is not telling me how you felt years ago. Being crass is you just thinking I'll just fucking grow out of loving you. Crass is fucking using me all these years," Spike snarled out. "If you're so generous, then why weren't you being generous with my feelings? Huh?!"

"Spi-spike." Rarity stutters, seeing smoke rising from his shoulders. Holes were being burned through his shirt.

"If you had told me that you didn't want me a long time ago, I would've been cool about it. Sure, I'd be hurt, but I would have gotten over it." He said. "Instead you made me a fool for all these years."

"Spike, I gave you plenty of indications that I was declining your advances. You choose not to see them." Rarity said, crossing her arms against her chest. "You're acting worse than a child right about now. You're acting like–" She stopped herself.

Spike's head tingled and his chest puffed up as he squarely faced the white mare. "Acting like what?" He could guess what Rarity was about to say, but he wanted her to actually say it. "Spit it out, Rarity."

Straightening up, she glared at Spike. "You want to hear it? Fine. Spike, you're acting like a huge dumb dragon."

He chuckled darkly at that, turning away from her. "Rarity, for your sake, stay away from the big dumb dragon." The dragon snarled as he walked off.

Normally, dragons are always angry, cruel and most of the time dumb. What she had said hurt. It didn't compare to her rejection yesterday, but still, it stung. Spike knew he wasn't like the others. It was probably best if he didn't see Rarity for the rest of the cruise. And probably for a while after.

"Stupid cunt," He grumbled to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets, his muscles tensed. "I don't need this right now."

By now, his shirt had more burn holes than he could count. Making his way down to the lower decks, Spike began fidgeting, clawing at his neck. He was getting really hot. Rarity had pissed him off even more. If he hadn't turned and left, something would have happened. Something that would send him to a world of trouble.

As he got halfway down the stairs, he heard a shout. "Hey, watch it!" Spike looked up just in time to catch a basketball with his face. He fell back with he ears ringing and eyesight blurry.

"Spike!" a female voice called. He felt soft hands on his face, but couldn't make out who it was. He recognised the scent though. A sweet and familiar scent.

"Spike? Geez he's burning up," the voice said again. He knew who it was now. "Go get some ice. Now you freaking chickens," Rachel snarled, as Spike's vision cleared.

Rachel's skin was glistening in the sun's rays, and she wore a black tank top that was tied to show her whole stomach. It may not have been as well muscled as AJ's or as toned as Rainbow's, but it showed off just the right shape and tone to attract wandering eyes. Her hair, instead boasting blue streaks like yesterday, had black and red stripes that traveled along the tight french braid hair she was sporting. Grinning, she leaned back. "Good, you're not dead," she said. Behind her was a unicorn stallion..

"Would you rather I was?" Spike muttered, hand reaching up and rubbing his aching face. "What happened?"

A female pegasus, who Spike recognized as Night Glider from having met her a long time ago at Starlight Glimmer's old village, trotted up with an ice pack. "You just got knocked on your ass by a rogue basketball," she said. With a flaw of her wings, she floated above them to hand Spike the ice pack, which he waived off.

The stallion raised a hand to that. "My fault, we were kind of rough housing. Sorry."

Spike groaned and slowly pushed himself to his feet. His back ached with the motion. He looked back to the staircase behind him. He hadn't even realized he had fallen down to the bottom. He hissed and jerked his hand away from where he had unconsciously touched the forming bruise.

"Easy, big guy, you took a nasty tumble," Rachel said, moving at the same time he did. "Three stories to be precise."

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?" Night Glider asked him. "That's gonna bruise your face."

Spike sighed before taking a step. He stumbled a moment for balance, but was quick to regain it. His face hurt and his ears were still ringing. Not like they were before but still. Not shaping to be a good day. "I'll be fine," he said to them before he began walking off.

"Hey," Rachel then called out. Spike looked down to see her walking next to him. "You just took a big hit, you need to sit for a moment," she said.

"I said I'm fine," Spike snapped. Even though he didn't mean to, he wasn't in the mood for any social activity.

Rachel let out a huff before bouncing around Spike to face him. "Hey, I didn't do anything, watch the attitude will ya?" Her tone didn't match her words. Normally people who say this kind of thing were annoyed and getting angry themselves. Rachel was cool and collected. "I can see you're pissed."

Spike sighed, the human girl not leaving him when clearly he wanted to be alone. He stopped walking and looked down at her. "That obvious?"

"Buddy, I can recognize someone out for blood anywhere." Rachel said, grinning up at him, looking him in the eyes.

"What do you want?" He then asked.

Rachel held the ice bag up to him. "What I want is for you to sit your scaly butt down, put this on your face before you get a black eye, and hang out a bit." She insisted. "And plus, get that busted rubber off of your horn thingy," she said with a gesture towards his head. There was no way in any shape or form that sentence sounded remotely right. It caused the ponies that were on the court behind them to snicker.

"That's what she said," the stallion said with a laugh.

Rachel glared at them. "To Spike maybe. Doubt you've ever heard it!" Her face was flushing a deep red even though she was chuckling along.

Spike was flabbergasted by the whole situation. When he reached up to one of his horns and felt around, his fingers felt rough ridges from something hanging off his left horn. "Oh crud." He ripped the deflated basketball off while blushing. "Sorry." He had no idea how the basketball got impaled like that.

Rachel chuckled before grabbing it from him and tossed it in the garbage, making it in with a flick of her wrist. "Don't sweat it, dude. We got more." She pointed at the ball rack across the courtyard. "Care to join?"

Spike looked towards the rack before shaking his head. "I'm seriously not in the mood right now. Sorry." He said before walking off.

"Huh," Rachel said, shuffling her feet. "I guess I'll have to give these pretty, delicious looking fire rubies to some other dragon that wants to hang out," she singsonged.

Spike came to a screeching halt. He looked over his shoulder, certain she was bullshitting. Rachel walked over to a black gym bag with paint splattered all over it. She dug around for a moment, and sure enough, she pulled out a clear gallon size ziplock baggie filled to the brim with rubies. They shimmered as if they were on fire under the light.

His mouth watered in sight. "Well...I guess I can hang out for a little bit." the dragon zipped all the way to her and sat down on the metal bench. Just as he reached for the bag, Rachel pulled it away and instead hands him the ice bag.

"At least till the ice melts, then you can have them," Rachel grinned. "No cheating either, I'll know." She said as she stuffs the rubies back into her bag and zips it up.

Seriously?

"Can you handle that, big guy?" She asked.

The dragon huffed. He was still pissed off by Rarity, it didn't help that he just got a face full of basketball. He should just get up and walk away. Those gems just might well be fake. "How do I know that isn't' costume jewelry?" he asked skeptically.

"Lie to a dragon? I may be human, Spike, but I'm not dumb. Besides, I don't use fake gems for my art. Those are just leftovers." Rachel said, glancing up at him before standing up straight.

"Yo! Rachel, we gonna play ball or what?" Night Glider called out.

"Gimme a sec!" Rachel called back before looking at Spike. "You have my word."

Spike sighed softly, what did he have to lose? It's not like I've got anything better to do, he thought before taking the ice bag and placing it on his face. Besides, he'll do pretty much anything if it meant he could eat some rubies. Especially fire rubies. They were quite rare and were very hard to come by.

How in Equestria did she manage to get a whole crap load of them? What kind of craft project uses fire rubies and leaves enough left over to fill a gallon bag?

"You promise?" he asked.

"I promise," she smiled before making a cross over her heart and put a hand over her eye. "May a cupcake fly into my eye if I dare to tell a lie."

He chuckled slightly, looking up at her with his good eye. "Fine, I'll stick around...only for the rubies."

Flashing him the same roguish grin she gave Rarity yesterday, Rachel nodded before running back to the other players.

"Okay, bitches, same rules as before," Night Glider said as the human returned. "And Bouncer, no stray balls this time," she said with a grin to her partner.

"Hey, it wouldn't happen if I used my magic," he chuckled sheepishly, scratching his mangy orange mane.

"Not everyone has magic," Rachel chuckled with confidence. "Now, grab a ball and let me resume kicking y'all's flanks."

Night Glider flew towards the ball rack to grab one and toss it across the court. Rachel jumped to snatch it out of the air before setting it in center court.

Spike watched from the sidelines. He saw the three rapidly make hand gestures, determining who would handle the ball first. By the victorious shout of Bouncer, he had the first play.

"Two ponies against one human? That's unfair…" He muttered softly to himself as he watched the game start. Bouncer started off dribbling the ball down the court, his long stride eating up the limited distance across the small play area. He passed the ball to Night Glider, who caught it while showing off with a spin and made a run to the other side. Though Rachel was the tallest human Spike had ever encountered before, these guys were both far taller and just plain bigger than her. It put her at a disadvantage while she was trying to catch up to a pegasus after just reaching the unicorn.

Night Glider made her way to the basket, making a huge leap for the net. To Spike's surprise, on her way to making a slam dunk, Rachel managed to jump right from under the pegasus, pulling the ball right out of Night Glider's hand.

Rachel landing with a crouch, the ball now in the her dainty hands. She slowly began to dribble the ball in one hand, eyeing her opponents. The two slowly approached, moving carefully so they wouldn't leave her an opening.

Her grin unfaltering, Rachel moved, and Spike watched in awe. Rachel was basically flying across the court. Her footwork was amazing as she slipped and dodged her opponents. She moved as if the whole game was choreographed, dancing across a stage. When Bouncer tried to block her, she bounced the ball through the gap between his legs. He fumbled a grab at it while Rachel spun around him without a missing a beat to catch it and continue her way down the court. She took her shot as if she had all the time in the world.

The ball flew through the air, hit the fiberglass headboard, and passed through the net with a soft swish.

"Whoo!" Spike jumped, startled by the sudden cheering. "Go Rach!" One of the unicorn twins was sitting beside him. Ruby he thinks it was. The teal one.

"Kick their asses!" Spike whipped his head to the left of him and saw the other. That one actually was holding a foam finger and eating popcorn.

"Where did you two come from?" Spike asked after his heart moved out of his throat.

"We've been here since before this round started, duh!" The purple unicorn tells him with a grin.

"Now you sluts make your way back!" Rachel called out to them. "Ya'll left me!"

"We got hungry, bitch!" Ruby laughs. "We told you we'd be back."

"That was an hour ago!" She snapped back.

The twins laughed at seeing her worked up before getting back into the game. "Gem, is it me or is she mad at us for forcing her outside?" Ruby asked her twin.

"She'll get over it," Gem giggled. She turned to look at Spike. "Whoa, you're face is bruised."

"Don't remind me," Spike sighed, shaking his head. "What do you mean by you guys making her go out?"

Ruby turned to him as well. "Rachel is an artist. For the past seven months, she's done nothing but go to work or stay cooped up in our apartment to paint and draw. She'd more than likely do the same while on vacation."

"So we threatened to throw all of her artwork overboard if she doesn't go out and enjoy herself." Gem grinned evilly. "Boy, when she gets out, she's so much fun! And we get to see her be all badass too!"

"I see," Spike said with interest before turning back to the game just in time to see Bouncer shove Rachel to the ground and Night Glider grab the ball to make a point.

"Hey! Foul!" Ruby snapped at them.

Spike snarled. This was unfair. Settling the ice pack down, he got up and jogged across the court to her. "Hey, you alright?" Spike asked.

"I'm good," she replied, pushing herself on her feet and glaring at the ponies. "That's foul, guys."

"Sorry!" The two called out. But from what Spike could tell, one of them didn't mean it.

He looked to Rachel and sighed. Might as well work out some of this anger. "Two against one. Seems unfair, don'cha think?"

The ponies and Rachel looked up at him. "You gonna join in?" Night Glider asked him.

Spike shrugged before taking the hoodie off from around his waist and tossing it off court. "Seems like I am." he said as he popped his knuckles. "Two against two seems about right." He turns to Rachel. "Well?"

Rachel grinned. "Let's kick some butt." She looked toward the ponies. "First team to ten points wins the game."

"Oh, you two are on!" Night Glider and Bouncer fist bumped. "Same rules?"

"Right." Rachel nods. "No flying, no magic," she then looked up at Spike. "No spitting fireballs."

"Whatever," he scuffed before both of them got to the center. The dragon ripped the burnt shirt off and tossed it aside. The mares on the sidelines, Night Glider, and any other female who happened to be around couldn't help but enjoy the view of the dragon.

The girls still thought of Spike as immature. The little kid that always followed them around. Twilight's little assistant. Rarity had just confirmed this to him. They wouldn't think this if they ever actually looked at him. Spike had spent his recent years doing manual labor and dedicating time every week specifically to work out. With his efforts and draconic heritage, he had sculpted his body into his own work of art. From horn to tail he was a prime specimen of a mature dragon, with sculpted abs, broad shoulders, and well toned muscles.

With his wings now free, he gave them a stretch and a single quick flap which sent dirt flying away from him before furling them back into place.

Loud wolf whistles came from the twins.

"Yo, Rachel!" Ruby called out to her. "Since sexy here is on your team, you take your shirt off too!" She laughed.

"You shittin' me, right?!" Rachel shouted back.

"Yeah, take it off!" Gem cackled. "Shirts vs skins, Rach! You taught us that rule."

You fuckin' kiddin' me? Spike just looked at those two and snarled.

After a palm to the face, Rachel grumbled. "Fine, okay, if it shuts you two up!" She growls before grabbing her top and pulling it off and tosses it somewhere off court. Her grey sports bra staying. "Now stop heckling me."

"No promises." The twins giggled evilly in unison.

Spike growled at the twins before he saw what was on the girl's back. Though the top part was covered by her sports bra, he could make out a pair of tattered black and grey wings extending from her shoulders and trailed down till it disappeared into her pink yoga pants. The tattoo wings were covered with burns and scars, and the feathers where either tattered or outright missing. Written in white cursive down the center of her spine was the phrase: "Tattered and Broken, but Free".

"Now can we play?" The midnight pegasus asked, blowing her white stray mane out of her eyes.

"Waiting for you, princess," Rachel said, her words snapping Spike back to the game.

Bouncer took a bit out of his pocket. "Heads," he called as he flipped it. The coin spun in the air before he caught it and slapped it on the back of his hand. He let out a growl when he saw it was tails.

"What's wrong? Lost to your own coin toss?" Spike taunted, chuckling at the Bouncer's reaction.

He dribbled the ball before passing it to Spike. "Quit yappin' and play."

If you say so, Spike growled internally before he took off down the court. The ball became a blur in his hand as he moved.

Bouncer and Night Glider took off after Spike as he ran. Now that Spike was the tallest in the group, he had the advantage. But that doesn't mean he was any good.

The dragon took a huge leap in the air and slammed the ball in the basket.

Being able to do that meant he was good.

"Holy shit!" Rachel gawked.

"You gotta be kidding me." Bouncer groans.

Spike turned back to the ponies and grinned. "That was just a taste."

Rachel giggled as he made his way back. "Nice moves, but dude, team effort." she playfully punched his arm.

"I'll try to keep that in mind." He said.

As the four played, more ponies were gathering around the court to watch the game.

"Thinking what I'm thinking?" Ruby asked her twin.

Gemcity grinned. "Always." She looked over to the pool area and saw Vinyl Scratch was watching from her DJ Stand. "Yo! Pon-3! Give us a beat!" She shouts at the white mare.

Vinyl lifted up her glasses to look before giving a grin. Immediately lively dance music started playing loudly through the speakers. The type of music that could make any pony shake their tails to the beat.

It was time for the real game to begin.

The two teams squared off. Spike had finished showing off, and it was time to be serious in the face of these chumps.

The ball bounced around the court. It was in Night Glider's hands before being passing to Bouncer. Bouncer dribbled across the floor before Spike slipped past him on his left, grabbing the ball from his hand and making his way to the other side.

Rachel was near the net. Spike moved, shuffling across the ground before throwing the ball overhand. Rachel jumped to pick it out of the air and make a shot in the same motion. Spike and Rachel make the first point.

The two teams squared off again. This time, Spike was the first with the ball. Moving across the court, adrenaline and rage coursing through his veins. The sounds of shoes squeaked from one end to another.

As he ran, he felt someone stomp on his tail, causing him to shout as he was flung to the ground. He lost his grip on the ball and it bounced off. Right into Bouncer's hands. He gave Spike a cocky grin before going to the midline and making a net.

"Watch where you put your tail down, man, I nearly tripped." The stallion smirked before trotting back to Night Glider and high fiving her.

Spike snarled, pulling himself up and glanced at his tail. Though it wasn't bad, he could make out a scuff mark.

That bastard.

He took a step towards Bouncer to punch that smirk off of his face before Rachel tugged at his arm. "Easy, big guy," she muttered, glaring at the two ponies. "If you want payback, beat these chumps." She handed him a bottle of water to drink before heading back to the center to square off.

He downed the water. That tail stomp was still on his mind, but he shook it off and continued the game.

The teams showed off some impressive skill each time they had the ball, both fiercely competing to win a game with nothing on the line but pride. The ponies around them cheered and applauded on the sidelines as interest in the dragon/human pair grew. Despite the obvious differences between the two of them, each one amplified the other's own moves. They complemented each other's play style perfectly.

Though Rachel was the smallest of the four players, she brought speed and almost a grace, while Spike's size and draconic need to compete was a sight to see.

The music pumping into the speakers took the game to a whole other level. Ruby and Gem were having a blast acting like cheerleaders. They were doing everything from waving their makeshift pom poms in the air to chanting made-on-the-spot cheers. One of them even started dancing for the audience.

The game was tied as they approached the end, with both teams at nine points each. The last round had begun.

"Got one more play in ya?" Rachel asked Spike as she stretched her back.

Spike chuckled softly, wiping the sweat off of his snout with a towel. "I was about to ask the same thing as you." He tossed the cloth onto the bench and grinned at her.

Rachel shook her head with a smirk before they got to the center once more, facing off against the two ponies.

The ball was thrown in the air and Night Glider intercepted it. Rachel followed in pursuit while the boys tried to block each other. With Spike taller than Bouncer by seven or eight inches, it was a hysterical sight.

The pegasus bounced the ball until it was swiped out of her hand. Rachel had snatched the ball and was making her way down the side. She saw how close Spike was to the net and dashed towards him.

Bouncer kept stepping in front of Spike, blocking his path to Rachel. He saw how close she was, noting the clear path she had to a final goal.

His horn sputtered in cobalt blue. Spike snarled as he noticed this. He was going to use magic on the game. Cheater!

Before the horn was completely engulfed in magic, the dragon slips his tail around the stallion's leg. Just as whatever spell was about to be cast, he tugged Bouncer's leg, stepping back so Bouncer could fall flat on the ground. He pulled his tail back before any of the others noticed, making it look like Bouncer tripped over his own feet.

Bouncer growled and looked up at Spike.

"Sorry, I have to be careful where I put my tail down." The dragon grinned mischievously before running towards the net. He saw Rachel with Night Glider hot on her tail.

'Heh, this could be pretty awesome' Spike thought to himself as he saw an opportunity. "Rachel!" Spike called out to her.

Rachel looked to him as she ran. Spike had turned his back to her and knelt down, forming a ramp straight to the net. Hopefully she can take the hint, Spike thought.

Rachel blinked for the moment as she tried to keep the ball away from Night Glider. When she caught on to what Spike was hinting doing, she nodded with a toothy grin.

With a fake to the left before taking off to the right, Rachel ran as fast and as hard as she could. Her shoes squeaked loudly with each heavy step. Night Glider caught back up, and kept trying to smack the ball out of Rachel's hands, but Rachel didn't give her an opening.

Just as the pegasus made one more reach for the ball, Rachel grabbed the ball and lept. With one step on the dragon's back and another on his shoulder, the human jumped. With ball in hand, she flew higher than she ever had.

The ball slammed down through the net and Rachel hung onto the rim with a victorious cry. "YEAH!"

"Hell yeah!" Spike shouts triumphantly, jumping up with joy. The crowd goes nuts at the winning duo.

"Coming down!" Rachel warned him before letting go of the rim.

Spike swiftly caught her bridal style with a laugh, before letting her down. Thankfully humans - like her - were very light.

Rachel wrapped her arms around the dragon's waist.

Spike jumped slightly by the sudden hug he was having. He wasn't expecting it, but he went along and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, returning the hug.

"You were awesome!" She squealed in joy.

For the first time today, the dragon actually smiled. "We were both awesome." He chuckled before realizing that they were still holding each other and pulled away. Awkward…. Spike thought, scratching at his neck.

The spectators dispersed now that the game was over, leaving only their opponents and the twins on the court.

Night Glider and Bouncer walked over to them. "Good game, for a couple nonpony folk." The pegasus grinned, holding a hand out.

Rachel extended hers and they shook. "Not bad for a pair of pastel ponies," She returned the grin.

"Gotta hand it to you, Rachel, I underestimated you." Bouncer said as he held his hand out for her to shake. "Good game."

Rachel grabbed his, her hand shaking his. "Same to you.." She looked up at Spike with a smirk.

The ponies left after a round of polite hand shakes.

"Ooh Rachel!" Gem shrieked as the twins ran up to the human. Thought they did have to bend down slightly to give their friend a huge bear hug.

Ruby pulls back quickly and groans. "Ooh, you stinky!"

"You spend an hour or two playing basketball and see if you don't get stinky." Rachel said annoyed but ends up smiling as well.

As they talked, Spike stepped off of the court to pick up his hoodie with a much lighter mood than before the game. He still had some residual anger but thanks to the workout - even though he didn't plan on being a part of it - he didn't feel like he was going to kick some pony's ass. Nothing like sports soothes the raging beast within.

Spike felt good. He'll probably feel awesome with those tasty rubies in his now hungry tummy. He had worked up a huge appetite, not to mention that he ran out before eating a bite of his breakfast.

Grabbing a towel from the towel rack and patting the sweat from his face - minding his eye - he threw his hoodie over his shoulder and went back to the girls. He then noticed Rachel's top hung on a chair and chuckled as he changed course to grab it before he went over to her to return it. "Here."

The twins snickered before leaving the two alone suddenly.

"Oookay…." Spike mutters, seeing them just leaving when he shown up.

"Ignore them as best as you can and you'll be fine." Rachel sighed before grabbing her shirt from him. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," He said before he softly smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?" Rachel asked as she pulls the top over her head and tugging it into place, though it clung to her sweaty skin.

"Having me staying around, I needed it." He said honestly. Spike followed Rachel towards the bench where her gym bag lie. "I worked out some of my anger."

"Nothing like close contact, sweaty sports to work the pent up stress out of everyone. That's what I say." She said, digging into her bag and pulling out a dark purple water canister and took a drink before sharing it with Spike, who took a drink as well.

"Now, about those rubies you promised?" Spike then smirked, not letting those babies go.

"Oh, so partnering with me on the court was just a way to cozy up to me for the gems?" She laughs, shaking her head. "Man, dragons and their gems."

"Keep us away from those things and it's not going to be pretty." He grinned, eyeing at her gym bag.

Rachel slung the bag over her shoulder and playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Shower first, then you can have them."

"Seriously?" Spike groans, his stomach rumbling. He was starving. "Not even one?"

"It's not a good idea to eat right after you worked up a sweat," The human said. "I swear on my roommates' life, I'll hand you the rubies after you shower. Maybe we can even listen to some Skullen Fangs while we chow down." She walks off with a wave.

Spike groans again, shaking his head and rubbing his face. "The things I do for gems," he sighed. When his hand went over his injured eye, he hissed and snatched it away.

"Rachie likie," He then heard Rachel speak. It was a faint of a whisper though. Spike looked over his shoulder and caught her looking at his backside.

She gave him a fake ass smile, trying to look innocent before running off towards the women's locker room.

He snickered before watching her go before he made his own way to the men's locker room.

Inside was empty, not a soul in sight or heard inside. Spike sighed softly before going in. He staggered back though, when we saw his reflection.

Sheesh Louise! His right eye was freaking black! Thankfully, he was still able to see out of it despite the swelling around his eyelid and brow.

"I guess that basketball did more damage than I thought," Spike said to himself, examining himself to see what other damages he suffered through. "Nothing else visible. Shit, Twilight is going to go fucking nuts when she sees this...The girls might think I got into a fight or something…"

The girls….

The dragon shook those thoughts away as he fumbled about the buttons of his jeans. Just as he was about pull his pants off, Spike heard a collection of booming voices entering the locker room.

At instinct, the dragon slipped around a corner where he wouldn't be seen..

"Sheesh, what a fuckin day," one of the stallions grunted as he entered. It was Bouncer.

"I still can't believe you got your ass kicked by a punie human." a second voice echoed, following behind Bouncer. "That itty bitty doll handed your own flank to you on a silver platter!"

"It wasn't fair, she had a dragon backing her up, you saw the game." A third voice spoke up, stating the obvious. "Bounce, you had magic, why didn't you do anything?"

"I was trying to be nice to the human. She is the only human passenger, why not make her feel welcome." Bouncer said before his fist collided by a metal surface. " I didn't expect that little bitch to make me look like a fucking idiot."

Spike clamped his hands over his snout to keep from snarling. He didn't want to be caught eavesdropping on this conversation.

"I mean seriously! A unicorn and a pegasus, we should've won. But nope! To be fair, we leveled the playing field to those guys." Bouncer continued. "I know it's just a game but come the fuck on!"

"It only made worse when that dragon just showed up out of nowhere." The second stallion laughed. "He totally spanked you!"

"Fuck off!" Bouncer snarled. "That bastard is the reason why I lost! I oughta give him and that hairless ape what they deserve!"

This asshole! Spike was having trouble keeping his snarling muffled.

"Oh calm down," The third stallion said. "It's just Spike. That lapdog will probably forget it after he stuffs some gems in his face."

It was quiet for a moment before the second stallion let out a laugh. "That's right! That lizard will let you walk all over him. Just like those girls."

Bouncer laughed as well. "Servant to the 'Princess Of Friendship', the most laughable alicorn in Equestria. He's just an oversized gecko."

"Hah! How about we make use of that faithful assistant? Shouldn't he do everything you ask? Maybe he can send one of those women he's friends to us? I always want to fuck a princess." One of the three suggested and they all had a huge laugh about it.

"He's not even a real dragon!" Bouncer laughs loudly.

Veins were now bulging out from his temple. Smoke seeping out of the nostrils and mouth from the dragon. No one…

No one talks about Twilight and the others like that! Spike could handle being told that he wasn't a real dragon. He was hatched in a classroom by magic, raised to be Twilight's companion. Her little "pet". He could handle the bullying, he can handle the name calling.

But no one fucking talks shit about his sister and his friends!

With a snarl, Spike rams his fist into the nearest locker, unintentionally tearing the whole line from the wall and sending them to the floor like a set of dominos.

"Shit!" one of the stallions shouted out as they jumped out the way. Bouncer has rolled onto the floor as the lockers fell to the ground with a loud screeching thud.

So much for working his anger out during the game.

"Instead of talking with each other, why don't you ask The Princess's faithful assistant yourself," Spike snarled baring his teeth at the three. There were three ponies in front of him, two earth ponies and Bouncer.

Bouncer wipes something off of his jaw as he stood up. "Hey there man, we were just talking." He said, his eyes cutting down at the dragon. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough," Spike's hands curled up into a pair of fists and snarled, knuckles popping.

The unnamed pony on the left was scrawny looking and the other was round, looking like a huge pink donut hole. They were all taken aback by the sight of a raging dragon. "Easy there, big guy," the round stallion said nervously. "We were just talking. We don't want to really do all that stuff."

"Y-yeah, what he said." The scrawny one chimed in. The one who had talked about screwing his friends. Spike's eyes shifted to him.

Spike took a step towards him before Bouncer regained his attention.

"So, the little dragon had a growth spurt. Doesn't mean shit." Bouncer arrogantly snarled at the dragon. "You're still just a pet. No pony takes you seriously."

Spike felt the familiar tingling sensation rumbling in his stomach. A familiar feeling he gets when he felt his fire stirring, getting ready to burn this prick to Tartarus. But then a thought came to his mind and he just snorted.

"No pony takes me seriously, but I have a prince's standing with the five Princesses of Equestria and the Dragon Ambassador." Spike grinned with self righteous pride behind each word he spoke. "Not to mention saving the Crystal Empire so many times I can't keep track of it." He walks over to the bench to get his hoodie, slipping it on and zipping it closed. "I don't need to stoop down to lowlifes like you."

Though he really wanted to bash this bastard's face in, he had some small hold on his dignity. "I'll let this talk stay here, but if I hear you guys talk like that again, it's not going to be pretty." Spike said, pushing Bouncer out of the way as he walked past.

The fallen lockers groaned loudly and the familiar chime of magic sounded from behind him. The lockers lifted into the air by Bouncer's magic and were thrown at Spike.

Spike whirled around, his mouth opening as a heavy stream of green fire shot out at the metal. His fire burned brightly, reducing the metal into slag that spattered across the floor.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Bouncer - living up to his name - bounced through the hole as the fire gave out and gave Spike a hard punch across his jaw before elbowing him in the stomach with all his might.

Spike staggered back from the punch, grunting when his stomach got hit. His eyes dialated to slits and he gave out an animalistic roar. He brought his right hook down across the stallion's muzzle, his left hand shot out and grabbed the pony's neck to hoist him up off of the ground.

Scrawny pony slammed a piece of scrap metal into the back of Spike's head. It seemed to just bend into the shape of the dragon's skull, but it did get his attention.

Spike tightened his hold onto Bouncer before hurling him at the Scrawny pony. The two collided and ended up in a pile on the ground.

The fat one, not having joined the fight, ran around the corner.

While Spike was distracted by the fatty running away, he was whacked in the face by a bench. Bouncer, using his magic, started slamming the dragon with everything he could grab around the locker room. Unable to get his bearings, Spike was caught in a flurry of lockers, wooden benches, even tiles that had been knocked off the walls.

Each new impact pulled a grunt or a shout out of Spike. He felt scratches and cuts across his snout, his horns and everywhere else.

Bouncer was laughing maniacally as he and Scrawny stood up. "Did you forget I'm a fucking unicorn you stupid shit?!" He cackled as he kept slamming things into Spike with his levitation spell.

With one last slam, Bouncer pulled the dragon up to his feet, only to let him fall back down.

Anger and seething rage boiling through Spike, he got back up to his feet and charged haphazardly at the ponies before him.

Bouncer sidesteps the clumsy swing and struck back, hitting Spike in the back of the head.

Spike snarled. His tail shot out, scoring across Bouncer's chest like a whip. Bouncer let out a painful shout as the tail recoiled. The edges of his spade tip had a fine line of pony blood on it.

Scrawny had picked up another piece of debris and rammed it into the dragon's gut.

Fatty had also picked up a piece and started slamming it against Spike.

Spike grunts at the brute attacks before managing to push them back with fists and tail, he spun around and knocked the two out of reach before he let out a cry of pain. Being blasted by a magical energy blast right on the center of his back.

The blast took him for surprised and had him crumbled to the floor. Another figure had joined in. Spike was about to continue the fight before another blast hits him. Another and another till he was consumed in total darkness once more. Twice in one day he was knocked out.

What the actual fuck just happened? was the first thing that came to Spike's mind as he came into consciousness. His eyes fluttered opened to see a slab of concrete staring back at him from the ceiling.

A dim light from a port hole that offsets the midafternoon sun

Mid Afternoon?! Just how long was he out cold? It took Spike a moment to remember what happened in the locker room and he let out a snarl.

He sat up, the bed underneath him creaked in the motion. Boy he was going to beat the living pulp out of those ponies. He scrambled out and then stopped. In front of the dragon were crisscrossed rows of iron facing him. The room we incredibly cramped due to his large stature and wings.

Spike was in a jail cell.

"What the hell?" Spike walked up to the bars, gripping one and made a pull on them. The bars let out a small hum before giving him a minor shock. "Shit!" He cried out, taking his hand back and held it close to his chest.

"H-hello! Is any pony there?" Spike asked out loudly then.

"Calm down, Spike," Twilight's voice echoed. He looked up and saw the princess standing outside. Her back to the wall. Her voice...it wasn't what he was used to. This look was sad, almost grim. "Don't make this any worse…"

"Twily, I-" Spike venture towards the bars, minding not to touch them. "You gotta get me out. There's got to be a mistake."

"A mistake?" She barely looks up at him. Tears threatened to come out, his ears drooped in sight of her. "Spike...you got into a fight… one of those ponies had to get stitches."

"Twilight, I didn't start that fight," Spike quickly protested. "Those guys started it. I tried to leave before-They were talking bad about you-"

"I don't care!" Twilight shouted at him, causing him to flinch. "Just because you're mad at Rarity doesn't mean you can take your anger out on others! "

"Twily, y-you don't understand. Please, let me out." Spike pleaded. Rarity had nothing to do with it. He was defending Twilight's honor, not that skank.

"Like I told your guardian," one of the zeppelin's security guards said as he approached. "Unless someone pays the fine, you are to stay in there for the next twenty-four hours….you got about seventeen left."

T-twenty four hours?! "Twilight, please, I'm sorry. I really am."

Tears filler her eyes and the princess turned away. "You're staying in there, Spike. You can think of what you had done and what you can do to apologize to those three." She muttered. "I'm very disappointed in you, Spike…"

"Twilight!" He reached for her through the bars, but they shocked him again, causing him to stagger back. Then, the princess was gone.

Spike balled up his fists before before slamming one into a wall. He didn't even dent the hard surface. "Unbelievable!" He snapped.

"Hey!" The guard called out. "Settle down!" he barked.

Shaking his head, Spike flopped onto the hard bed with a grunt. "This sucks... way to go, Spike. locked up in a jail cell on your cruise." He props his elbows on his knees and covers his face with his hands. His wings wrapping themselves around his body, hiding himself from the world.

For a long time the dragon sat in his little cocoon, counting down the hours. He had let those assholes get to him. They started the fight by chunking that locker at him. He was just defending himself…

Not that anyone would ever believe him. He was taller, stronger, and had Bouncer's blood on him. Who would be foolish enough to believe that ponies would start a fight with a 'big dumb dragon'.

* * *

Just as he was dozing off for the night, the sounds of the cell door slides open. Spike unwraps himself and looked towards the guard. "Alright, kid. Get out." He tells him.

Rubbing his eyes, the dragon looks up to the guard. "Come again?" He asked.

"The fine's been paid. Get out of here unless you want to spend the night in that crappy bed." He told the dragon.

Paid off? By who? The dragon wandered as he stood up. Curiously, he walked out.

"Now kid, you get three strikes on this cruise liner. First strike, you're confined for twenty four hours or until someone pays for it. Second strike, you are confined in a windowless-doorless cell for another twenty four hours, except with no getting out. Strike three, we restrain you until we reach the next port, where we drop you off with the local law enforcement.. Do you understand?"

"Yeah... I get it." Spike sighed with a nod, scratching the back of his neck.

"You already have one strike. Try not to fuck up any more and enjoy your time." The guard said before going back to his desk.

"Did Princess Twilight pay the fine?" Spike asked. She must of had a change of heart.

Before he the guard responded, Spike got his answer by the sweet, ambrosial smell entering his nose.

"I did, big guy." Spike turned towards the exit to see Rachel was leaning against the archway.

Dressed in a dark blue one sleeved crop top and black jean shorts with converses, her hair parted to the side in a sidetail underneath her beanie. The black and red streaks faded out since she had taken a shower. She gave the dragon a small wave with a smirk.

"Rachel?" Spike muttered out her name as he approached the human. "You did?" He was rather confused at this situation.

"It wasn't the mail pony." She said with the smirk unfaltering before patting his arm and jerked her head towards the other side of the entrance. "Let's go for a walk." She said before she began walking.

Rachel got a few feet before she stopped and looked at him behind her shoulder. "Well? Aren't you gonna come or what?"

"O-oh…" Spike said before he followed the human out.

The two walked in silence. Spike with his hands in his hoodie pockets, lost in deep thoughts.

Twilight was really going to leave him in there? The look she gave him. Sheer disappointment. This day had really sucked.

Bouncer and those other two started it first. First talking shit about his friends and then started the fight by throwing a locker at him. Rarity wasn't even fuckin' brought in and yet Twilight accused him. Yes, he was mad at her. He's mad for a lot of reasons. She used him for years and didn't appreciate him. But she has nothing to do with the fight. Was locked up and those guys left scott free!

He then turned towards the human walking beside him. Rachel, a human whom he doesn't even know 'cept for their shared love of the same band, had gotten him out of that cell. Why would this stranger do something like that.

If Spike recalled from learning some of the Human's mythology, dragons eat humans. They killed knights and princesses to get their gold… Not much different from this world's mythology on the lore but still. Even now, ponies are afraid of dragons, though they are working out the kinks. The girl had no look of fear on her face, she didn't even flinch when he first growled at her yesterday. And no it wasn't because they played basketball today either. There was something about Rachel and Spike didn't know what that was.

"You know," Rachel starts, finally speaking after they've walked for five minutes going through a hallway leading outside where Luna's moon shone high in the night sky. The zeppelin among the tiny diamonds twinkling all above them. "When I didn't see you waiting outside earlier, I had to admit, I felt stood up." She then looked up at him. "Until I saw fireballs spurting out of the guys room."

The dragon sighed, his shoulders slouching as he walked. "Not my fault…" He grumbled. Now great, she thinks he started the fight too.

"Didn't say it was." She said. "I went to the infirmary to see if you were alright when I overheard the three stooges talking about what happened to the nurse and the ship's security."

Spike scuffed, shaking his head. "Now thanks to them, I probably have a rumor spread about how dangerous I am." He grunted.

"Well, what did you expect, you are a dragon after all." She smirked. "Breathing fire, gem eating greedy bastards the lot of you."

He looked to her with annoyance. "If that's what you think of all dragons, why the hell did you bail me out?" He glares at her.

With a skip, she steps in front of the dragon and walked backwards. "Because you're different from the rest of the meatheads. Trust me, I know some dragons, they are all assholes. My landlady back in Filly is a dragon. She raises the rent every few months, it's insane!" She chuckles.

"How's that? Because I was raised by ponies?" He raised a brow but still had that glare to her.

"No, though that's a good thing to know." Rachel said. "I can tell you're different. You're nice, sweet. A big heart you got."

Well, when you put it that way…

"Why do you even bother with me? We don't know each other. Strangers at most. Yet you're here saying those things." Spike said to her. "For all you know, I can be the biggest, baddest bastard there is."

She let out a chuckle. "That's bullshit and you know it." She said. "I can tell. Just by talking to you."

"You're insane." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Insane? Maybe. A little bit weird? Appsolutely." Rachel grinned before going towards his right and walked correctly as they came about towards the deck. "This big ol' tough guy you're pulling now and back at the court, so not you. Something or someone peed on your cheerios."

"You're right, you are weird."

"Thank you very kindly." She takes a bow as if she was given a complement.

Spike sighed again, scratching the back of his head. She was right, the dragon with the bad attitude wasn't him. "You're right, usually I'm a decent guy. I help out others who need it."

She nods but didn't say anything, instead let him continue.

"When you spend your whole life trying to please someone in hopes they may do something in return like your feelings, and when you find out they were just using you, it's the worst feeling ever."

"I hear that." Rachel says, looking up at the sky and listening to him. "Been there, done that."

"I just feel...like I'm living out a lie all my life." He then perks up. What the hell? He turned his head towards her as they entered the pool and bar area. No one was out this late at night. "Why the heck am I telling you all this?" Spike then asked Rachel.

Rachel let out a mischievous smirk. "I'm just that type of person that you can talk to easily." She says. "You have no idea how many strangers come up to me and confide in me things that they don't normally talk about to their friends and family." She goes over to the bar, hops over the top and ends up on the other side. "Sheesh, for a cruise liner, these guys are short on the good stuff." She said, looking at the selection of alcohol.

"Um, I don't think you're allowed to do that." Spike said, watching her rammaged the bottles from the other side of the bar.

"Oh relax, Spike. No pony's around." Rachel said as she grabbed a couple of shot glasses and settled them down on the bar. "I know what I'm doing. C'mon, sit and chat with me." She grinned.

With a groan. He didn't need to get in trouble again. He just literally got out moments ago. Spike looked to her then and gulps. Seeing the baggie of Fire Rubies at her hand again, waving them around, bringing Spike towards the bag in a hypnotic state.

Crap….

"You're wicked, did you know that?" Spike mutters as he joins her at the bar, taking a squat on the stool. The wood groans at his weight.

"All the damn time." She said cheeky, setting the bag down and sliding it towards him.

Spike's hand automatically shot out to the bag, ripping it open. He reached down and grabbed one of the large rubies and taking a bite. His eyes widened with the familiar sweet tasting of the gem. These things were real! He starts devouring the bag.

"Where in all of Equestria did you find this lot?!" The dragon asked as he stuffed three or four gems in his mouth and chewing them to tiny bits. "Last time I seen a fire ruby I gave it to Rarity because she liked it. I wasn't even going to give it to her, I was saving it to eat it for my birthday!"

He halts his eating. Why was he telling Rachel this?! Spike looked up to her as he swallowed the gems he ate.

Rachel just sat there and smirk. She knew just by looking at him that he was asking the question to himself. "Spike, when you look at priests, hair stylists, barbers, and bartenders, what do you see of them?" She asked as she grabbed a few bottles, expertly pouring them into each shot glass little by little. The colors of the rainbow appeared in the glass.

"Two of them deal with hair, one works at the bar and the other deal with religious things." Spike answered, wondering where she was going with this.

Rachel clicked her tongue three times before sliding him the poured drink. "Those four have all one thing in common, if you really think about it. We all are just...bargain guidance counselors." She nodded to him before taking her a shot of what she poured and placed it on the table, turning the glass upside down. "You tell us what's in your mind, and we give you advice as best as we can. Some of the time, it works."

"Huh...I didn't think of them that way," he said in response to that, looking at the concoction she made. Setting the rubies down, he reaches for the glass, expect it for a bit before hesitantly down it whole.

SWEET BABY CELESTIA OF ALL THINGS CHAOTIC! The shot burned into his stomach, a stream of sweet, savory, salty and spicy liquid had just infiltrated in his gullet. Before he could give out any warning, he let out a fiery burp.

The fiery belch was iridescent with blues, greens, reds, yellows, purples and oranges. Rachel didn't even have time to blink before she was engulfed in the rainbow flames.

Even as the surprised look on her face was still registering to him, Spike was already on his feet and tackling Rachel to the ground, frantically trying to smother the flames with wings and hands. He was only stopped by the sound of laughter coming from underneath him.

"Spike! Spike! Stop, it's okay!" Rachel laughed as she swatted him. She wasn't screaming in pain. There was no smell of burnt flesh. She was laughing her ass off. "I'm fine! See?"

Rachel patted out the last of the flames. The fire had not burnt her at all. She looked up at the dragon who had a massively confused look on his face.

"Like I'm actually going to give a dragon some alcohol? Sorry man, even though you're different from the others, I can't have you running around burning stuff while intoxicated."

Like he did last night…. Spike remembered having some drinks and nearly burning the bar and patrons to ash the previous night. Spike dejectedly looked down at the memory. Right at Rachel's chest. Spike realized that he was still laying on top of her from his futile attempt to smother illusionary flames. Red-faced, he jumped to his feet.

"Then what was that you just had me drink?" He asked her as he helped her up, his heart still pumping in his throat.

"My own recipe." Rachel said simply. "It still give the patron's a buzz feel but it doesn't get them drunk." she explains. "You can drink a thousand of these and yet you can't get fucked up. And an added bonus." She lets out a fiery rainbow burp herself on the bar. It wasn't a huge fire like Spike just did but it was enough to show him. "I call it Rainbow Fire. Since well, it makes the drinkers breath fire. It doesn't burn, it just tickles the hell out everyone."

"I seriously thought I burned you." Spike said, his ears drooped a bit.

"I'm okay. Really." Rachel assured him, patting her little fire patch out with her hand.

He sat back on a stool and looking at her. Making sure if she was truly alright. "Drink's got a kick to it...that's for sure." He said softly.

"Heck yeah it is." Rachel chuckles before she grabs a bigger glass. Does some more bottle tricks with three bottles, creating a sort of a pink concoction, adding a bendy straw, she slides the drink to him. "Try this one."

She's trying to kill me? Spike thought as he took the glass and took a sip. His eyes snapped wide, in a good way. The taste of pomegranate, cherry and something tangy danced around his taste buds. It was delicious! he sipped a huge amount of the drink before Rachel taps him on the snout to stop.

"That drink requires to take sips. Trust me." She warns him. "Take it all in one go and it just doesn't taste right. It can mess up your stomach too. Iron Will's Special, Virgin, though I seriously think the name should change to something else."

"It's awesome tasting." Spike said, loving the drink before taking now a tiny sip of it. "Thanks for the warning." He smirks.

"No problem." She said, reaching under the bar and pulls out a brown beer bottle. Spike reached over the bar and used a claw to pop the lid open for her. "Classy." She took a long swig of her drink before turning to him. "Now, tell me a bit about you."

"What would you like to know?" The dragon asked her.

"Anything. Tell me, Spike. Where did you come from, where do you go to lay your head? Where did you come from, cotton-eye joe?"

"I'm from AAAAAAAAAAppleoosa!" a pony by the literal name of Cotton Eye Joe shouts out from somewhere above them.

"Not you! But that's goooood to know!" Rachel hooted back, her accent now similar to country twang before busted out laughing. Spike laughed as well.

"You're unbelievable!" He chuckles.

"It helps to talk like the citizens in different places. Makes me feel like I'm part of the family." Rachel giggled, wiping a tear away from her eyes. "In all seriousness though, tell me a bit about you."

Spike chuckled a bit before sighing softly. "Well...if you must know, I'm from Canterlot."

The human looks at him with raised brows. "Canterlot? Where the two princesses live and all the high rich ponies live too?" She asked.

"Yeah. From what I was told, it was during a school entrance exam for Celestia's School of Magic." Spike said, taking another sip of his delicious drink. "Twilight hatched me."

"So...she sat on you till you hatched?" She asked confusing, bringing about another chuckle from the dragon.

"No, silly… The entrance exam was for a unicorn to magically hatch a creature, bringing it about to life. Not only I was hatched, but after a mishap with magic, I grew to the size of an adult baby dragon."

"Oh shit!"

Spike nodded. "Yeah. Kinda funny now I think about it."

"And this Twilight...do I get a sense that it's the Alicorn that cruised up on the boat with you and the other girls?" She asked him.

Again, the dragon nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much since that day, I stayed with Twilight. She's been a sister to me. I... after a while I became her assistant. Taking notes for her, sending them to Celestia, keeping her cooled down to prevent her from freaking the hell out - which by the way is just the funniest thing to see."

Rachel giggled, taking another swig of her drink. "She seems like the caring sister. Fierce loyalty, I can see that in you. Good quality."

"Thanks...what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where do you come from? Not in this world, I mean." Spike said.

"If you wanna know? My world's version of Manehattan." There was something bitter in her voice when she mentioned it. Like she didn't want to talk about it. "Not the glitz and glamour part."

"Oh…" He detected that. The bitterness and sadness from it. "Do you miss it?"

"Hells no," She said that way too quickly to lie. She takes another swig of her drink. "Best damn decision in my life to migrate here in Equestria. Just wore the clothes I had on my back and went to the office to fill in the applications."

"Applications? The two hundred trial applications?" Spike asked. In the beginning during the peace treaty between realms. The humans and the pony leaders agreed that two hundred participants can try out living in Equestria for a year. As a controlled experiment to see how ponies, humans and all other creatures interact with each other. It was almost a bust because all creatures couldn't get along at first.

"Applications, thorough body examinations, and I mean they did everything to ensure I wouldn't bring disease into Equestria. Inserted those little tracker chips into my head to keep track of me." She pulled her hair to the side to show him the faint scar just behind her ear. "Though, it was deactivated and pulled out years ago."

"Didn't they sent the humans to that Settlement place?" Spike asked. He heard about them but didn't fully grasp it.

"Yeah, but I didn't go there." She said in reply.

"How come?"

Rachel let out a laugh. "In a land filled of magic, talking animals and creatures I only thought were in minds of the imagination. I took the money they gave me to use for the whole year and just traveled around. I went all over till I broke down in Filly. For a fifteen year old, that was awesome!"

"F-fifteen!?" He gawked. "So you've been here for seven years? Since you were a kid?" Spike was surprised. Most of the participants were over eighteen. How did a fifteen year old slip through the cracks?

Rachel smirked when seeing the look on his face. "Dude, I'm roughly 6'5. Thanks to some genetics in my family, with the attire I was wearing then and attitude, I pulled off it." She chuckled.

Spike looked up at her. "So...you ran away from your home? Your family?"

"Kinda had no choice… I was going to leave... one way or another." She trailed off, taking one more swig of her drink before shaking her head, pushing away whatever sad thoughts came to mind before smiling. "Past is in the past. I'm here now, living out the life I always wanted. Never looking back."

Spike took another drink. He looked to her and smiled softly. "Thank you…."

"For what?" Rachel asked, tossing the bottle in the garbage bin.

"For bailing me out, and listening." Spike said to her.

"Feeling better now?"

Spike nodded. "Much."

"Then you're welcome." She smiled at him, hopping on the bartop to sit upon it. "Don't worry about paying me back. You helped me clean up yesterday, makes us even Steven." she winked at him.

"At least let me do something. It's part of the Code." Spike smirked.

Rachel pursed her lips, thinking a moment before returning his smirk. "The Noble Dragon Code?"

Spike blinked at that. "Yeah, how did you know?"

She giggled, shaking her head. "I didn't. I guessed it."

This girl….

"Tell you what." She then reached over to the pocket of his jeans.

"H-hey!" He jumped, feeling her hands going into the pocket of his pants, pulling out his cell phone from his right rear pocket.

She starts messing with the buttons on it. "If you want to pay me back, we hang out tomorrow. Even if it's just five minutes. It doesn't have to be anything grand. Just a moment of your time. That should settle it." She hands him his phone back.

Spike glanced down on the screen and saw her eleven digit number staring back at him. She hands Spike hers so he did the same to hers.

After the numbers were surprisingly exchanged, Rachel leans closer to him. "One last thing before we retire for the evening. since we'll be at Bahoofmas in the morning. I want a picture of us."

"A picture?" He raised a brow on that.

"Yeah, a picture of a start of a new friendship." she smiled at him. "C'mon, one photo."

He chew on the inside of his cheek. Might as well. He nodded the okay to Rachel.

She grinned, getting close to the dragon, her phone extended out in camera mode. "Say cheese!"

Spike smiled softly as the flash went off. It blinded him a bit but it quickly passed. The human looked at the photo on her phone and smiled. "Good one." She turns it to the dragon and he chuckled.

"If only I didn't look like I was in a brawl."

"But still good looking."

The dragon blushed then at her comment. She slid off of the bar to his side and stretched her arms. "Well, big guy, this is where we part ways for the evening. I'm beat."

"Y-yeah, it's late." He said, scratching his neck. "See you in the morning?"

"Most definitely." She flashed him a peace sign before walking off.

Spike sighed as she left, swiveling around on the stool. His phone then chimed, telling him he has a text message.

Already it was from Rachel. She sent him an attachment photo of what she just took. With some words of advice.

big guy, to the woman who broke ur 3, screw her. U'R an amazing guy. Dnt 4get that. Any girl will die 2 b with u. Just need 2 find the right door :)

He smiled at her words before stuffing his phone back in his pocket. He took one more drink of his before getting up and leaving for his cabin.


	3. Day Three

Twilight and the other girls sat down at the ship's restaurant, chowing down on some breakfast. This sadden look came over the princess of friendship. Yesterday was bad, really, really bad. Barely picking up a fork, she sighed softly.

"Maybe you should let him out early," Starlight suggested. "Pay the fine. It's Spike, he wouldn't cause any harm without rhyme or reason. You seen the video tapes."

"I know I did… but it still doesn't change anything." Twilight sighed sadly. "I hate leaving him in there but...he almost crossed a line that I won't be able to get him out. Even with all of my abilities I have at hand."

The other girls looked at each other and sighed in unison.

"Hey, today is a new day," AppleJack said. "Things will get better." She says as a few ponies passed by them. Muttering things about how could they bring a dragon on the ship as they went to their tables.

Twilight groans and faceplants on the table. Nearly hitting the plate of eggs that were right in front of her. There were already rumors spreading around. Word gotten around about the fight. Now at the aftermath of all this. Gossips and looks were being passed around at the girls.

"Oh, this isn't turning out to be a good vacation." Fluttershy sighed softly, Angel Bunny patting her hair in comfort.

"Sticks and stones may break our bones but the words won't hurt us." Pinkie Pie chirped.

"Words do hurt, a lot." Rainbow Dash said. "But seriously Twi, Spike in a cell? I know he has a hot temper but puh-lease! Just get your ass up and get him out. It'll be night time until time is up."

"I want Spike to have a good time just as the rest of us. I'm worried if he might lash out again or do worse." Twilight sat up, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I understand why he was doing, why he did it, but all he could do is just walk away. Ponies joke around."

"Either way, he can only blame for himself." Rarity said, taking a sip of her coffee. "I apologized. He still walked around with that attitude of his…..still." her ears drooped. "The thought of Spikie Wikey being in any cell just makes me very upset indeed."

"Same here. When the time is up, he'll be released." The princess said softly.

"Girls, having Spike just lash out, that's not like him." AJ then said. "We all know him. Spike wouldn't just start a fight. Not without being provoked."

Fluttershy nodded. "Spike would never do anything that can cause anypony harm. Those three would have to start it in order for Spike to fight. Maybe he was defending himself."

"You're probably right, Fluttershy." Twilight sighed softly. "But only saw when I went in there. Spike using his tail to slice up one pony and was about to-"

Starlight shook her head and stood up, interrupting the princess. "Okay ladies, yeah we had a few rough days, but this week is still young. We are at The Bahoofmas. We're going to have fun." Starlight pulled out the brochure out of her back pocket, opening it up and setting it on the table. "Now, Sea Sun and the resort manager has a schedule for all the fun activities we can do for the next two days. A tour around the island, a few stops towards the art gallery, the carnival the island is hosting, a few shops we can see. They even scheduled a scavenger hunt tonight. By that time, Spike should be out. You all know how much he loves doing those things."

"If there is anything that needs to be find, Spike is the man for it." Pinkie Pie giggled, shaking up a can of whipped cream and filling her face up with it.

"At what time?" All the girls jumped at the sound of Spike behind them. They whipped their heads around to see that Spike had been standing there the entire time! Out of his hoodie, he switched on a red tight shirt tucked into a pair of black pants and a black coat and his combat boots.

"Spike, you're out." Twilight said observing and a bit surprised.

"Did you bust out or something?" RD asked. A glare was casted from some of the girls at the cyan mare.

The dragon nodded and stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. "A friend of mine did. She paid the fine late last night."

" _She_?!" All of the girls gawked in surprise.

"A girl...bailed you out?" Rarity asked, her voice suddenly up a couple octaves. A girl….helped Spike?

"Yeah. A girl got me out. Relax guys, she's cool." Spike sighed softly before grabbing him a chair from an empty table, pulling it up to their and sat down. "Hey, I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday. I wasn't right in the head. But to set the record straight, I didn't start the fight. I was defending myself." He said finally.

Twilight was about to open her mouth when Starlight reached over from under the table and pinched her thigh to stop her.

"Eek! Why did you pinched me, Starlight?" Twilight eked, rubbing where she was just been pinched.

"Yesterday is history, don't worry about it." The unicorn said. "We are all just happy that you're alright. You are alright, right?"

The girls looked towards the dragon for answers.

"Guys, I'm fine...for now." He said softly, but there were truth to his words. That talk he had with Rachel, he felt better. Though, it still stings to see Rarity, he's better than he was yesterday, majorly.

"Well… that's fantastic!" Rarity then loudly chirps. "Now, let's order breakfast and get on with the festivities. I so cannot wait to show you girls my new summer line!"

"Yeah, what she has is amazing." Starlight said, smiling a bit. "The best I've seen yet."

"Hush hush now, darling. No spoilers!"

" _Psh!_ I don't care about clothes," Pinkie Pie giggled, looking at Spike. "I wanna know more about this girlfriend of yours!"

Spike blushed red then. "Pinkie, she's just a friend." Great, he just started something.

"I would like to know more too, if that's okay with you." Fluttershy said. Angel Bunny agreeing with her with a nod.

Rarity chuckled dryly at that. Though her facial expression was agreeing, her internal diva was going like _What is wrong with these girls?! My fashion line is far more important than talking about some random girl…._

"Might as well spill the beans, Spike." AJ said, leaning back, also interested about who was this mystery girl that bailed Spike.

"S-she's just a friend. That's all Rachel-"

"Rachel's her name? Oooh!" Pinkie giggled, cutting him off.

"What's Rachel like?" Twilight then asked curiously then. Normally, Spike never hung out with any other girl beside them seven and Ember. This was big, even to her. The way Spike was reacting, just might be something else which peeked the Princess's interest.

"Is she a pony?" Pinkie points at her before digging into her pockets and pulling out an album of all of their friends from all different species and starts pointing at them in order. "A dragon? An Alicorn? A Changeling? Griffon? Hippogriff? A cat? Oooh! she a-"

Spike then reached over to Pinkie Pie and clamped a claw on her muzzle, shutting her up. She was still rambling on and on what Rachel was.

"Rachel is none of those but a friend." Spike said slowly so the girls could understand. His face was so red from blushing it's turning his scales pink.

"Buddy, there's nothing wrong for getting involved with a girl." Rainbow Dash grinned. "Just as long as you're having a good time."

"That's all we want you to do." Twilight then said.

"I know." Spike said. He then over heard a few other members of the cruise muttered about him. Seeing a few inching away before he let out a groan. Great, so this day begins….

"Ignore them, Spike." Rarity said. "We know you aren't dangerous…." Her voice was laced in something that none of the others could described. The way Spike blushed when the others were talking about this _Rachel_. For a reason still unknowingly to her, it didn't sit with her.

The dragon grunted in response before he dug into his pockets and pulled out the ziplock baggie of the rubies from last night and started munching on them. The bag was at least half emptied.

Rarity's eyes widened as so did the rest of the girls. Mostly Rarity. Those looked like the necklace she made out of the fire ruby Spike gave her years ago. Those were supposed to be rare.

"What?" The dragon asked them with a mouth full of the gems.

"Where...did you get those?" Rarity asked slowly.

With a gulp, he turned to her. "Rachel…." He slowly replied.

"And she just….had a bag full of gems at her disposal and...gave them to you?" Her voice was getting higher and higher with each word that spat out of her mouth.

The dragon narrowed his eyes at the white unicorn. "And what if she did? She told me I could have them. You already have one so it shouldn't be a problem."

"It's not… but how did she ended up finding a whole lot?"

Starlight quickly cuts in with a nervous laugh. "Oh look at the time," she says, raising up her phone to look at the time and shoves it at Rarity's face. Instead of the time on the screen, she had typed the words. _DROP IT, NOW!_ "We should go ahead and check out the island. We're gonna be here until morning of the fifth day then we'll ship home." Playing the referee to avoid anymore conflict between the two. It was either her or RD stepping in. But with RD, she wouldn't be "subtle" with Rarity and still cause trouble in the clique. She removes the phone from the mare's face and stuffed it into her pockets.

The two creatures stared down at each other before Spike stood up. "Yeah… let's check out the island." He takes another bite of one of his many gems with a smirk. Rarity just humphed and flipped her hair.

"Yes, darling." She then gave them a convincing smile like nothing was amiss. "I want to look around the island's fashion status. Who knows, I just may get inspired by the culture."

"That's the spirit." Twilight then said. As soon as the food was eaten and they had gathered things for the day, the gang headed off the zeppelin. Walking off a wooden platform and onto the docks of the lushious tropics known as Bahoofmas.

A large island in the middle of the deep blue ocean. In a little villa port site was a popular tourist attraction: gorgeous beaches, beautiful miles of wilderness filled of exotic plants and animals, attractive mares and stallions that look almost too perfect that most of the passengers of the zeppelin who never been at the islands think that the locals weren't really real. The amusement park with a huge ferris wheel taking view of the whole island where most of the tourists went to.

The girls and Spike had ventured off into the town Each of the admiring one of everything that there was about the place. Pinkie was zipping through everywhere with a camera at hand taking multiple photos and selfies; Fluttershy was talking to the local critters and rodents who in their own language was telling her the history of the island; Starlight and Twilight were at awed when they stopped to find a little shop for unicorns who want to pursue more magic spell and enchantments and looked about the island's magic; RD and AJ were checking out some sporting stores and talked about surfing onto the water; Rarity was looking in amazed at the clothing style the islanders had. Mentally making note to use for her new line and making them the centerpiece of her new boutique.

Spike just kinda hang back for a bit. The island was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, but nothing really peaked his interest. Especially with a few ponies staring at him like he was some sort of roadside attraction. Though the girls haven't said it much, word has gotten out to the island police about the brawl on the ship.

He could feel their eyes staring coldly at him, watching his every move just waiting for him to screw up.

An orange ball rolled up to him, bumping against his boots. Spike bent down and picked the ball up as a little colt runs up trying to catch it. The kid was taken back at the size the dragon was, frozen in place.

"It's okay," Spike said with a calming smile. He raised the ball at the kid's eye level. "Is this your ball?" He asked him.

The colt nodded slowly, rubbing his little hands together nervously.

"Here," Spike tried to hand it back to the kid before his mother storms towards them.

"Skyheart! What are you doing?" She grabs the kid's hand before picking him up. She jumps in sight of Spike. Apparently, neither of them never seen a dragon before, so what would be the first reaction?

Either two things: stand still in fear until things get talked out and cool things over, or act skittish and take off running because most dragons - adults dragons at that - are not the friendliest bunch and despise ponies (even with Ember as Dragon Lord and was proven time and time again that dragons and ponies can get along, there are a few who refused to see the error of their ways and changed).

It's the latter. The mother staggers back from Spike and takes off running. The little colt hand his hand extended out towards his bouncy ball.

"My ball!" The boy cried out but the mother didn't go back to that ball.

Spike just watched them go with almost a hurt look before making a scowl. The ball inflates from the heat coming off of his claw and pops like a balloon. "You gotta be kidding me…" He grumbles.

Twilight took a moment and stop to see the scene as she came out of the shop with Starlight. She sighed softly before walking over towards the dragon and placed a hand on his arm. "Spike, it's okay. They just don't understand fully."

The dragon sighed but gave the princess a nod before shrugging. "I wasn't doing anything wrong."

"I know." She said with a soft smile. "Let's get going, we're heading towards the beach."

"You girls go ahead, I'm just gonna walk around a bit." Spike then told them. "I didn't exactly bring swim trunks from the ship anyway."

Her ears drooped slight. "Oh… okay. If you need anything, you can talk to me."

"You just don't understand, Twilight." Spike told her, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Unless you know what it's like…." He sighed softly. "I'll see you guys later."

And with that, the dragon breaks away from the clique and takes off down the streets of the island.

"Where's he going? Spike! come back!" Rainbow Dash calls him out but the dragon just continues off.

"What got under his scales now?" Rarity asked with a raised brow.

"It's nothing, guys." Twilight said softly. "Let's go, he'll catch up later." The girls trailed off the opposite of the street.

"Man, this is such a bummer…" Spike spoke to himself as he strolled through the little market place. "Not my fault for what happened on the ship and not my fault dragons are the way they are." He shook his head.

Spike stopped by a soda machine that was right off a corner. His throat was a bit parched and needed something to drink. He pulled his wallet out of his pants, getting what he needed for the machine before walking up to it.

He looked at the selection before finding one he liked. One he couldn't believe this island has. His favorite back home - Spiced bean vanilla creamsicle.

"Ooh!" Spike hummed before feeding the machine with the right bits and pressing the selection button.

The machine was groaning, the gears were turning. The dragon was eagerly waiting for the soda can to come out. He waited, and waited. He hears the motors turning and before he could received his favorite beverage…

The mother fucking bitch of a soda dispenser quits working and his soda didn't fall out.

"Huh?" Spike pressed the button again. The gears turned for a second before it shuts off again. Spike repeatedly pressed the button. Same thing happened and his soda didn't fall out. "You have to be kidding me."

He hits the fiberglass window, in hopes it would make the soda fell. Nope! He lets out a small snarl and shakes the machine with his hands. "Come on. I want my soda!" he said, though a bit too loudly.

A few passersby stopped and looked towards the dragon, in their eyes was Spike attacking the poor machine when all he wants was his soda pop.

The soda machine groans and rattles from the dragon. His eyes then looked down at the flashing red light that just pops on. _OUT OF ORDER._

"You fuckin' kidding me?" He growls, banging against the machine again. He just lost his bits and never got his soda. Spike then sees some of the police ponies slowly approaching them. Seeing that there might be a problem.

Spike scuffs. "Fine, I don't need it anyway." He said, turning around and walked away. Showing them that there wasn't a problem and get off his ass.

As soon he was about….twenty meters from the machine. He hears the machine dropping something in the slot thing. he whips his head around, his soda actually fell? He takes two steps towards the machine and this mare who happens to walk up to the machine with bits at hand sees the can already lying in there.

"Ooh! Vanilla creamsicle!" She pulls it up out of the machine, cracks the thing open and takes a drink. She made a disgusting look and looks at the can. "Oh yuck! Spiced Bean flavor…" She takes the open can of soda and throws it in the garbage and proceeds getting another soda.

"Oh c'mon!" Spike snapped, his arms flung in the air. What the actual fuck!?

Before the dragon could do something drastic, he lets out a breath of hot air before turning around and takes off, storming down the street.

"Stupid machine." He grumbled to himself as he walked. He shook his head and with a sigh.

The dragon walked over to a bench and plops down on it. He watched as other ponies walked around having fun of their own. He even spot a few human families, not a lot but still, those who found their own way to the island was having a good time. He sees the two species actually interacting with kindness.

His mind took to how Rarity acted when she saw humans being servants on the ship. How her mood did a 360 on them. When Spike and Twilight went through the portal many moons ago with the whole Sunset Shimmer and siren incidents, he liked the humans he saw - granted he was changed into a dog. Though now the portal changed to where each creature can step through and not change.

Yes, he knew what humans were capable of. So was any other creature Spike faced in his life. All creatures a capable of doing horrible things to one another. No species are more superior than one another. The way Rarity acted towards them…. it was unsettling…

Especially the way she talked towards Ra-

His mind was cut off by his phone buzzing in his coat pocket. He pulled it out and saw Rachel's name and number popping up on the ID.

"Okay...not creepy at all." He muttered softly, seeing how she ended up calling right when he was just thinking about her. Does she have some sort of hidden power that Spike didn't know? Could she sense that he was having a rough time from some other place and was calling to cheer him up?

Or this was just coincidental and he read way too many Power Ponies comics in his youth.

Spike slided the green talk button before pressing it against his ear. "Hey, Rachel. I was just-"

" _HELLLOOO-HOOO Sexy!_ " A voice screeches out through the speakers. It wasn't Rachel. " _Sorry, Rachel is disposed for a moment, You are currently talking to one of her B.F.A.S.F - that's stands for Best Friend And Sister Foreve-ah'! Gemcity here baby, woo!"_

Spike blinked at that. "Um okay… why do you have her phone?" He asked confused.

" _Oh_!" She giggled loudly. " _I swiped it from her as she went to get some ice cream. I mean she had your number since like last night and hasn't made a call to you yet! So I'm doing her a favor."_

"That's none of your concern, thank you very much." Spike grunted.

" _It kinda is in her case. Now, before she gets back, I got one question."_

He raised a brow. "Um...okay?"

" _Are you single?_ " What?! " _Oh, don't answer that, of course you are. We heard you yelling at the bitch at the party the other night after we-"_

" _G-GEM!"_ Now Spike heard another voice shouting at the other line. It was Rachel's. " _Who said you can take my phone? My phone has all of my pictures on it! If you deleted any I will...who are you talking to?"_

" _Just talking to one sexy boy on here. I lost my phone on the ship and this number is the only one I can remember."_ Gemcity lied and by the tone of her voice, she was smiling big.

" _Oh you are not poisoning my phone with one of your many personal sex boys! Now they will never leave me alone!"_ Rachel snapped on the other line.

" _Hey Rune Mark, you up for another round? Bring Artrais and Norse around too!"_ Gemcity laughed. " _We're gonna party!"_

"Okay, I'm gonna-" Spike tried to cut in but he was cut off.

" _Okay! That's it! THAT'S IT!_ " Rachel shouts before clearly there was a struggle happening on the other side.

The dragon just sat there listening to the fight. He didn't know if he should say something, hang up and call again. Either way, he couldn't bring himself to turn away from this. He was concerned...and very entertained. Spike couldn't hold it in anymore and started laughing from what he was hearing.

" _OWOWOWOWOWOWOW! My horn! RUBE! Rach has my horn in a death grip!"_ Gemcity cries out for her sister. " _She's gonna break me horn!"_ She then whines.

" _Just give her phone back for pete sakes."_ Ruby sighed from the other side. She sounded a bit annoyed.

After the sound of movement and a sound of silence. Rachel was now in control of the phone.

" _Okay, whoever my 'associate' called-"_ There was a brief squeak from Gemcity, sounding like she had just been kicked in the butt. " _Please forget you saw this number on the screen."_

Spike laughed. "Rachel! It's me, Spike!" He wipes a tear from his eyes and chuckled.

" _Spike?! Oh my god I am so so sorry!"_ Rachel said embarrassed. " _I am embarrassed to say the least. I'm sorry."_

"I-it's fine." Spike giggled. Oh sweet Celestia his ribs were hurting. "It seems you have a handful over where you're at."

" _You can say that." She said with a small laugh. "Man, I love Gemcity, but damnit she just love pulling my chain."_

" _Since you had no one pulling it for seven months…_ " Gemcity squeaked softly.

" _Okay, before I turn this bitch into glue myself, what's up?_ Rachel then asked him. " _Did you sleep well last night?"_

"Somewhat," he snickered at the glue comment before sighing. "Listen, you think you and I can meet up in a bit?"

It took Rachel a moment before replying. " _Sure. What's up? You feelin' down a bit or something?"_

"I just… I don't want to be with the other girls for now... " He said softly.

" _I see."_ She said. " _Tell you what, I'll be at the beach. Just find me sittin' on a bench or something drawing. No doubt you'll have trouble tracking me down."_

 _With that scent of yours, no problem_ , Spike wanted to say but instead, "See you soon." He said.

" _I'll be waiting."_

They both hung up at the same time. Spike sighed softly, his head hung down a bit.

To him, Rachel was easier to talk to. Last night's talk made him feel better. He liked talking to her...almost she gets him more than others in his life…

* * *

At the beach, the girls who weren't in the water - which were Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Rarity - were either laying on beach towels and was soaking up some rays or building a freakishly huge sandcastle. Fluttershy was in the water with only her calves in the water in wearing a snorkel gear petting various sea critters. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were having a surf contest going along the huge waves. Starlight had went out to fetch others snacks from the vendors.

"Aw, this is the life, huh girls?" Rarity sighed in contempt. Adjusting to her sunglasses.

"This is very relaxing." Twilight said. "But a study shows that too much sun is bad for your fur." She inquired her.

"But the sun is also good for your complexion, darling." She sat up on her arms and smiled at the alicorn.

"Not unless you get sunburnt." Pinkie also said, using a shovel, she starts digging up a moat around her sandcastle that looked like Twilight's Crystal Tree Castle. Every detail was perfect, down to the entryways, corredores inside. "Now all I need is a bit of fire."

"Maybe Spike could…" Twilight trailed off and sighed softly.

"Just give him time." Rarity said. "He'll turn back around."

"I know… he should be back by now. I'm worried." Twilight said to them. She pulled out her phone and turned it on. Her screensaver popped up. It was of her and Spike when he was a little scrawny kid. The little boy who used to refuse to leave her hip till he turned about ten. The day she and him came to live in Ponyville.

This one was taken when he was three. Shining Armor had taken it when the two were playing on the swing sets back in Canterlot.

" _Twi Twi, push me again!"_ Young Spike's voice echoed in her head from the past. " _I wanna fwy!"_

" _Be careful, Spike. Not too high_." Young Twilight Sparkle replied as well. Both of them laughing.

"It's hard... " The princess then spoke softly. "It's hard to believe that little baby is now all grown up. Out making his own decisions. His own life... I want to call him to see if he's alright."

"Twilight love, like you said, Spike's all grown up. He doesn't need you hovering him like a baby anymore." Rarity said. "He'll never mature unless you let him be."

Pinkie said something under her breath, adding more detail to Twilight sand castle.

"Excuse me, Pinkie Pie?" Rarity asked with a hum.

"Nothing." Pinkie smiled big.

"I...I have a feeling he's mad at me for last night...he should be. I made a mistake." Twilight sighed sadly. "Now he's not having fun because of it. That's why he's not here with us."

"Or maybe he's with his girl." Pinkie chirped.

Both of the ponies looked at their cotton candy friend. "Huh?" Both of them said in unison.

"What on earth do you mean by that, Pinkie dear?" Rarity asks, lifting her glasses up to gaze at the mare.

"You remember. He's probably hanging out with Rachel. It's got nothing to do with you, Twilight. He wants to spend time her. It's not everyday that Spike has a girlfriend." She giggled. "I still don't have any idea what she is. Very mysterious this Rachel is. You guys saw how red he was turning."

"If he is, then at least he's with a friend." Twilight said, her ears straightened up a bit.

"He doesn't seem to think that way by the way he was blushing." Pinkie said before taking off at a direction and came back with a piece of driftwood and uses it as a drawbridge for the sandcastle.

"Pinkie Pie, a boy can have a girl as a friend." Rarity sighed. "He's friends with a lot of girls."

Fluttershy waddles out of the shallow waters with a giggle. A starfish was snuggling at her leg. "Oh, Mr. Starfish, you can't come with me. You need to stay in the water." She knelt down, gently jiggling the starfish off of her and set him back down in the water. "Thanks for letting me visit your home."

The starfish gave the yellow pegasus a wave before diving back in.

"Fluttershy, darling," Rarity calls her out. The pegasus looks at her.

"Yes, Rarity?" Fluttershy looks up.

"Is it alright for boys to be friends with girls?" Rarity asked her then. "Just a simple question darling. Your opinion."

"Well, yes. It's normal for guys and girls just to be friends." Fluttershy said.

"We're talking about Spike and this Rachel character." Twilight said.

The pegasus then giggled. "I-I think there's more to it, or otherwise he wouldn't get embarrassed about it."

The white unicorn grunted. Before she could say more about the subject, a human family approaches them. A man, a woman, and their kids in swimwear, the daughters both seven and five.

"Excuse me, but are you a princess?" Their youngest daughter asked them, mainly Twilight.

"Why yes I am." Twilight answered with a smile.

"I'm sorry ma'am, our daughters noticed your wings and horn and wanted to know if they can take a picture with you." The mother chuckled softly.

"If it's not a problem." The father said nervously.

"Please, your majesty?" the girls bowed to the Princess of Friendship.

Twilight giggled. "It's not a problem at all."

The little ones got next to her. The Princess wrapped her arms around them and smiled.

The father took out their camera aimed it at them. "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" all three of them shouted before they took a couple of photos.

"Oh! Oh! I wanna be in the photo! I wanna be in the photo!" Pinkie waves her arms.

Pretty soon that family ended up taking photos of them with Twilight and her friends. One photo had their eldest daughter on the backs of Rainbow posing in the sky; Both being lifted by Applejack like they weighed nothing. Fluttershy had the dolphins and seals actually posing for the photos and the kids and even the parents got to pet both of them. With Pinkie Pie, well, she went crazy with the photos. Many a bunch of crazy faces, poses with the humans. Starlight ended up returning and got caught up in the photo montage. She and Twilight perform some magic performances for them. Bring much joy towards everyone, not just the humans but the other ponies on the beach.

Even turning them to actual mermaids and went deep sea diving the most amazing way. Seeing the ocean in a whole new perspective.

Everyone was having fun…

All except of Rarity who just sat in her spot and boredly picked at her nails. Refusing to even acknowledging the activities her friends were partaking.

"That was awesome!" The eldest daughter hooted when they came back to the beach.

"I wanna do it again!" the youngest laughs.

"I think that's enough for one day kids." The father said with a smile. He looked up at the princess and her friends. "Thank you very much for this."

"You're very welcome. It was most fun we had all day." Twilight smiled.

"It was a blast!" Rainbow Dash grinned.

"It was fun to say the least." AJ chuckled, patting one of them in the head.

The youngest then wraps her arms around the princess's left calf. "You're my favorite princess!" The child snuggled. "I love you!" The oldest does the same with her other leg.

"She's my favorite too!" she said as well.

Twilight giggles, reaching down and petting their heads. "Why thank you girls."

"Thank you for this, Princess." The mother said. "The girls been wanting to meet a princess since we came here."

"I'm glad I get to be part of their lives." Twilight smiled. "My friends are as well."

"You guys are amazing to hang out!" Pinkie chirped. Snatching one of the kids and holding her in the air. The youngest squealed in laughter.

"And very cute looking." Fluttershy smiled.

Tank and Angel lie on the sand exhausted. The kids had also played with them and were worn out.

"You know, I have a school back in Ponyville. I could always use new students." Twilight offered to the parents. "All sorts of species go there to learn about friendship. I don't currently have humans there yet."

"We'll see." The father said, actually considering it.

The family soon said goodbye and went about their way. The children's hearts filled of joy of meeting a princess and with the others.

"Well, that was fun." Starlight smiled.

"I'll say." Rainbow Dash said. "Bringing kids that much joy, and got new fans in the process. This is a good day." She said before propping on a towel next to Rarity. "Why weren't you part of the fun?"

"Oh?" Rarity looks up from her nails. "You were having fun?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes at her. The other girls giving Rarity raised brows.

"Alright, Rarity, what you got with against the humans needs to stop." Applejack then said to her. "They are not horrible creatures."

"They are." Rarity said. "They abuse their equine and turn them to glue."

"Dude, we turn ourselves into glue." Rainbow sighed.

"Though it's a life choice, there's a selection when we got our ID's. If we die, we have an option to turn our bodies into glue and other things." Fluttershy said, pulling out her ID from her beach bag and shown it to her. The check box was checked. "Though, after they got what they need, I want to be buried as a tree for all of my furry animals could use me for a home."

The other girls nodded at that.

"Weren't you making a clothing line strictly for humans since they are smaller than us?" Pinkie asked. "You were about to launch it and everything!"

Twilight shook her head and then looked at Rarity. "Is this...about what happened last year?"

The girls turned to her for confirmation.

Rarity huffed, sitting up and taking her sunglasses off. "What be of it?" She glared.

"But it happened a year ago." Applejack said. "They caught him and he's sent away. Don't let one bad seed affect the rest of the orchard."

"You don't know what it was like!" Rarity then snapped at her friends. "I still remember that night as if it just happened! One night of talking with Sapphire Shores, having a drink. This human, a strapping one I will admit, comes up to us. I left with Sapphy to the bathroom for one moment. One moment! Next thing I knew while walking home, I suddenly became drowsy. Barely having any consciousness as I pushed my keys into my door. When coming too there he was! My hands tied and him…" Rarity bit her lip and sucked in some air, blinking away running tears. "With Sweetie Belle just a few meters across the hall from me as well. He called me such foul names while he did his awful deed."

"But they caught him two days later." Rainbow Dash said. "He's been extro-extra-" She couldn't even pronounce the words to save her life.

"Extradited and persecuted in his world. Locked up and never to come back." Twilight said it for Dash. "Applejack is right. Just because one human did those awful things to you doesn't mean you should take it out on the rest of the species. That family we were with, they were good. They wanted to be friends, wanted to be with us with kindness and care in their hearts."

"It's not like the children could cause any harm. They're kids!" Pinkie said loudly.

Rarity stood up. "I don't want to hear of this anymore," She said abruptly, putting her glasses back on. "I'm heading to the restroom." She then storms off down the beach.

The white unicorn storms into the empty restroom, stepped inside one of the stalls, locking it in place. She then sat on the toilet and start crying her eyes out.

Her friends, they were right. They were right to call her out. But what happened to her, the whole rape situation, it scarred her emotionally and physically. Her body felt used on that night.

It was a long time she sat in that stall crying. The mare pulled a couple pieces of toilet paper and blew at it. "Oh look at me….such a hot mess." She whimpered, rubbing her eyes with the back of her free hand. "So unladylike." She sniffed before tossing the snotty paper in the bowel and flushed it down the drain.

"Get a hold of yourself, Rarity." Rarity took a deep breath. "The girls are right, one bad human doesn't diminish the others. Remember that now….Maybe I could recruit a few of the human servers to be my models for the fashion show." She sighed softly. "A new start for a bright future!"

Just as she turned around with a new attitude at hand and grabbed for the lock of the stall door. She hears a commotion entering the restroom.

"I can't fuckin' believe you did that, Gem!" A girl snapped out as she entered the room.

"Oh c'mon, Rach! You had his number in your phone since late last night! You didn't bother picking it up and calling him." The mare known as Gem chuckles as she came in as well.

"Rach?" Rarity mutters quietly as she sat in the stall, hearing the conversation. _No…_ She thought.

"Gemcity, you did pull a dick move." Another voice, one identical to Gemcity calls out as well. "Once you have your eyes set on a guy, you can't seem to keep your legs closed."

"Speaking of yourself." Gemcity said.

"At least I have self control." she said.

Rarity carefully peeks through the small gap in the stall and gasped softly. She sees the two mares who threw wine at her…

And the Paint Human!

But instead of the getup she wore on the first day or what Rachel was wearing when she met up with Spike. Her hair was straight blonde, no crazy colors added and was in a high ponytail, a dog-collar type shirt that shows her stomach and blue jean shorts and sneakers. Funny, Rarity's sister has the same shirt but instead of white it was pink.

"Do you realize how we probably sounded on that phone? God you're embarrassing." The human groans, leaning against the sink.

"Rachel, calm down, it's not like I ruin anything." Gemcity smiled softly at her. "That drake was laughing his ass off. You heard him."

 _Drake? Rachel?!_ Rarity quickly ended up put two and two together and covered her mouth to muffle a loud gasp. _This is the Rachel that bailed out Spikie Wikie!?_

"Spike is off limits." Rachel quickly told Gemcity. "I know how your mind goes. Stay away from him."

"Oh I'm not going there," Gemcity said with a shit eating grin. "Not after what we saw you guys rendezvousing at the bar last night." She giggled. "You two drinking and all."

 _Bar?!_ Rarity thoughtfully snapped the repeated word.

"He was feeling down. I cheered him up." Rachel explained to her. "The reason I didn't call him earlier smartass, because I was giving him space to spend time with the mares he was with."

" _That's now what we saw!_ " Gemcity suddenly changed her voice to sound like a stallion country twang. The same one that called Rachel and Spike out from above. "We know you want him."

"I actually agree with Gemmy here." Ruby said, crossing her arms together. "From the ball court, we saw how you were eyeing at his body. You want to tap that."

Rachel glared at them. "He's hot as hell. Every girl was eyeing at him. How can anyone not look?"

"Who knows, he may want you." Gemcity giggled. Seeing how redder their human friend was becoming. "I see somebody getting laid during this vacation."

Each moment they spoke, Rarity was turning red...and something inside her sparked. A flare of protecting the drake...and something else.

"You two are idiots." Rachel grunts, turning around and turning the water on. She splashed her face with the running water. "Spike and I are just friends. I will not use him for whatever that has you two minds stuck in the gutter."

"You may have a different perspective in the long run." Ruby said, placing a hand on her bare shoulder. "It's been seven months since you had any sort of activity. With Terrain and the baby and all-"

Rachel slapped the unicorn's hand away from her and turned to give a look that had Rarity jump in sight of the girl.

"Don't….you ever bring that up." The human growled at them. Her eyes threatened to fill with tears.

"Rachel, I know it hurts. But we brought you out here so you can interact with others outside of your job. We know you won't forget what happened, but you can't keep shutting yourself off from others." Ruby said calmly, unphased by the menacing look her friend was giving them. "Meeting others creatures, even bedding with a guy, helps soothes the pain. Sis and I know what we're talking about."

"If I be with someone, I want it to be lasting. What that bastard and I had was just physical, no emotions. I want to be with someone who doesn't boast to his friends as if I were some sort of trophy. I want to be with someone whom I can talk to about my life and not be victim blamed for the things happened to me in my past." Rachel breathes heavily as tears stream down her face. "Someone who wouldn't walk out of the hospital unbelieving that my dead son was also his!"

Gemcity whimpers before wrapping her arms around Rachel's shoulders and held her close. The human wraps hers around the mare's waist. Ruby joined in the hug. The two unicorns held her close. Rachel cried into her friends' chest.

"That pony never deserved you, Sis." Gemcity then said softly to her. Both girls running their hands along the human's hair. "We just want you to be happy again. Our fun loving, badass friend who never took shit from anypony. You may hide it from everyone else, but we know how you feel."

"This trip is about you." Ruby said softly to her as well. "When we saw you and Spike last night. We saw a spark. A spark in your heart, and in his as well. A smile we haven't seen since it happened."

Rachel sniffed, pulling away from the girls. She pushed herself on the sink, her legs dangling off the edge and sighed.

"Okay, stop crying." Ruby told her reaching up to brush her bangs away from the human's face. "Now, you're meeting up with Spike, knowing you, you'll have a good time." Though twins and share similar traits, the two mares were polar opposites. While Gemcity is flirty and very sexual, Ruby has that motherly charm to her. The teal unicorn then places her hands on Rachel's hips.

Rachel rubbed the tears out of her eyes. Trying to control her havoc breathing and looked at the girls.

"Look at you. You're the strongest human we know. We do anything for you, Rach." the purple unicorn said with a tender smile.

"Seems only yesterday we found you sleeping in some box behind the strip joint where Gem and I work at. This sweet, starstrucked little girl we took to our home." Ruby smiled. She leans in and plants a kiss on the crown of Rachel's head.

"Thanks guys…" Rachel said softly, a smile brought about her face.

"Now if it happens, it happens, but Rachel, go actually have fun with him." Ruby said.

"Both of you can be the balms to soothe each other's aching hearts." Gemcity grinned, in resulting a smack on the arm from her twin.

"Not gonna happen, we're friends." Rachel chuckles softly.

"I'm gonna bet on that. Ten bits says by the end of the day, even if you haven't done anything to attract his attention, Spike is gonna ask you out." Gem then said with a wider grin.

"Get the hell out, now."Rachel intimidly growls at her friend. "Go before I literally break your horn."

The purple unicorn giggled before hopping away from the human's reach. Ruby pulls away from her as well and grinned. "See ya later, Bitch."

"Catcha later, Sluts." Rachel then smirked.

"Love you!" Gemcity chimed, putting two fingers and pressing them against her lips and blowing a kiss at her human friend as the twins waltzed out.

"Love you too." Rachel said. When the twins were out of the restroom, the human leans back against the mirror and groans. "What am I going to do with those two…" She asked softly to herself.

With a sigh, she hops down from the sink. "We're just friends...just friends…" Rachel keeps telling herself that. Though she was looking at herself in the mirror and adjusted her hair.

A soft smile came about her face as she thought of him. She had fun last night, her friends were right. She did felt something lit up around him…

With a sigh, she walked out of the bathroom.

The bathroom stall slowly swings open. Rarity's left eye twitched from what she just witness. Her horn softly sparked a rather weak green aura that was slowly growing.

* * *

Spike walked through the boardwalk heading towards the beach. He was rather looking forward to this. Spending time with Rachel. He felt better when he was with her last night, he didn't know why he was wanting to be with her. This total stranger did more help towards him than his friends…

The wind shifted direction. His nose caught the ambrosial scent of hers and he sighed softly. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he hopped off of the boardwalk, landing right into the sand below and followed the human's aroma.

Walking over a few yards, looking where she could be, Spike looked over to a wooden table a few feet in the distant. A faint smile came across the drake's face when he saw Rachel.

Her mind was wandering in deep thought as she was hunched over, her knees propped up and drawing into a sketchbook. He could see charcoal staining her fingertips as she rubbed on whatever she drew on the page.

Spike almost didn't want to disturbed her before she spoke up.

"Dude, take a picture, it'll last longer." Rachel smirked, raising her head up and looking at the drake.

Spike chuckled softly before walking up to her. "Mind if I…."

"Free country, go ahead." She answered, scooted a bit on the table so Spike could sit next to her. The table sinked a bit in the sand and groaned from his weight but it didn't stop Rachel from drawing in her book. "So, how are you?" She asked, closing her sketchbook.

"Fine I guess," Spike said in response. "Feeling the aftermath of yesterday's tussle with Bouncer and his idiots." He then points up ahead towards the security ponies trying to blend in and not get caught of watching the dragon. They were doing a piss poor job of doing it.

Rachel playfully stuck her tongue out to them and giggled. "If they only knew the story."

"Do you know what happened? You only heard their side."

"I can probably guess on what happened." Rachel said.

Spike turned to look at her with a raised brow. "Oh really?"

She nodded. "From talking to you yesterday and the day before, you are not normally a violent dragon that just bash heads on whoever you feel like it. And playing with Bouncer, I saw a peek of his actual personality. Here's what I think happened: You overheard the three talking crap, you heard them said something you didn't like, you warned them to cool it. As you were walking off, they attacked you. You defended yourself. Am I getting any of this wrong?"

Spike blink very slowly as she told him how it unfold. "You're good."

She grinned. "Being a bartender, that's an unofficial trait you gotta have when serving up booze."

"Do I need to pay you for your services?" He then asked.

"Just a moment of your time, that is all."

That was a very good answer.

He then looked to her sketchbook. "Your roommates let bring that out here?"

"I just bought this while waiting." She smirked. "My money, my way of spending." Rachel then turns to him, holding the book up. "Wanna see a few?"

Spike nodded before he reached for the sketch book. He held it in his hands before flipping the cover over.

Instantly, the dragon was at awe at the first page. The picture was of the beach. Just drawing the ponies and humans relaxing and having fun in graphite shading. He turned the page and a detailed shark looked like it was about to jump out of the page. Spike flipped through more than half of the book. It was nothing but filled with amazing artwork. There was no way she would've gotten this much work done while waiting for him.

"Rachel, these are awesome!" He said as he was turning to a page that could be Luna's Dreamscape. "But there's no way you did all this while you were waiting."

Rachel smirked. "Wanna bet?"

He hands her the book back and folded his arms across his chest. "Prove it."

Turning her away from him, Rachel turned to a blank page, grabbed her weapon of choice and began drawing.

Every few moments that had passed, the human looked over her shoulder, glancing at the dragon before going back to her book.

A minute passed, soon turn to five. The dragon arched his neck above her to get a sneak peek. "No peeking." She quickly told him without looking up. "I'm almost done." She hums softly as she continued working.

When five minutes turned to seven. Spike yawned softly before she sat up.

"Okay, ready?" Rachel then asked him.

"Show me what you got?" He asked, not believing she got much work done at such a short period of time.

Rachel turned around. The book clung to her chest. "One two three!" She turns the book around and the dragon nearly fell off of the table in sight of the drawing.

It was of him! Just sitting behind Rachel waiting for her to finish. The graphite shading as freaking spot on. The way the sun was reflecting off of his scales, the light shine his coat had. The facial features were beyond amazing. "Eat your heart out." Rachel grinned in response to his speechless look.

"I-I. It-it... _gehaa!_ " He made a sound as he snatched the book from her hands and took a closer look at the drawing. She even got the right amount of spikes going across his tail correctly, the larger scales that went from his neck down were in near perfection. She even got his eyes right! Not even the paintings and sculptures he seen himself in the Crystal Empire ever got them correct.

Rachel let out a laugh as she watched him questioning himself. "I take that as a thanks!" She snatched the book back and tore it out of the book and handed him the page after signing her initials on the edge of the page. _RL._

"How did you draw this so fast?!" He finally scrounge up the right words to say to her. "Do you have magic I don't know about or what?"

Rachel just sat there with a grin. "Time and a shit load of practice." She said. "Ever since I was able to pick things up as a baby, I done nothing but draw."

"Did someone teach you? You go to school to learn...wow I look good." He said, looking at the picture more. She didn't add the bandages he had on his face and the black eye - which was a lot better than last night, though he had no complaints.

She smiled. "I am self taught. I figured with how things got bad with my folks...I draw. It's my escape from reality."

Spike turned his head when she said that. "How bad?"

Rachel sighed softly. "Enough to where my mom had her and I sneak out at least five times in the dead of night and cross country the US to get away from my dad… And yet he always finds us and dragged us back home. He was always angry about something and took it out on us. My mom got it the worse…"

Spike sat the drawing on his lap and his ears dropped slightly. The image of the burns on her back came to his mind and a soft growl came out of his snout.

Rachel reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, that life I had is gone. The bastard is in a whole 'nother world from here. I believe Karma had taken care of him. So will the three assholes you fought with. She's a fucking bitch but Karma will handle it." Positivity just flourished out of the human. "Back then, I draw to distance myself from the reality. Now I do it because I love it. My boss lets me hang my art up and lets me sell them. I make a quite an earning do so, especially with the dragons that fly into town coming back from Migration."

"Oh?" He asked, looking at her eyes. "Dragons do love things considered treasures, art is one of them."

"Perhaps, but no." She smirked. "I put gems in some of my paintings. Popup art. At first I thought I was making a killing with my art, till I saw them pulling the gems out and tossing the painting in the garbage."

Spike snickered. He wasn't going to lie, he might done that but he'd at least keep the artwork, the one she worked hard to make. "That sucks." He then smiled at her.

"It hurt at first. But hey, if I'm making money off of it, I'll just reuse the trashed art pieces and put more gems on it. Which reminds me, I'll have to talk to a couple Diamond Dogs about getting more supplies after I get back home. You'll be surprised how easy it is for them to cough up a few gems if you grease their paws with hand and mining tools."

That would explain how she came to be with the fire rubies that were in his pocket still.

Spike looked down at the drawing he gottened and smiled. "Thank you." He says as he took the drawing and carefully folded into a square and put it in one of his pants pocket. He turns to her then. "I mean it. Thank you."

Rachel matched his smile. "You're welcome." She said. She was just about to open her mouth when…

"SO THIS IS RACHEL!" Pinkie Pie's loud voice scared the living crap out of the human, causing her to jump up and doved into Spike's arms, clinging to him with a shout. Spike jumped as well and wrapped his arms around Rachel at the same time. "Ooh, jumpy!" The mare giggled.

"pa-Pinkie!?" Spike sputters out. His chest going up and down rapidly. The human clinging to him following the waves. "Where did you come from?!"

"Over there." Pinkie giggled, pointed at the direction where the other girls were approaching.

 _Oh no_ , Spike thought when he saw Twilight and the others approaching them.

"Pinkie, we just told you to leave them be." Twilight groans, shaking her head at the pink mare.

"You don't know how to listen, do you?" Dash said.

Then, their eyes turned straight for the human in the dragon's arms.

For a moment, no pony said a word. They just stared at the sight they were seeing. Rainbow Dash starts making the same grinning face as Pinkie Pie at the two.

"So this is your girlfriend huh?" Dash snickered.

"Girlfriend?" Both Spike and Rachel repeated the word questionly in unison. Both momentarily forgetting that they were still connected to each other.

Applejack then chuckled. "Well? Ain'tcha gonna introduce us, Spike?"

Another awkward moment passed before Spike and Rachel turned to face each other. Their faces relatively close. Both of them blushed pure red before pulling apart. Rachel hopping off of his lap and onto the ground. "Sorry." they both said at the same time to each other.

Twilight and the others giggled at the two which only made their faces turn redder.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Spike then asked them.

Twilight bite her lower lip with a giggle. "We were heading towards the amusement park when Pinkie spotted you...and her." She motioned her hands towards Rachel.

It took a moment for the human to catch up before she perked up. "Oh, gosh I'm sorry." She said with a chuckle before going up to them. "I'm Rachel Lockhart, a friend of Spike's." Rachel then introduced herself to Twilight and her friends and held her hand out for a shake.

"Sure you are." Dash trolling said.

"Ignore her." AJ quickly told her.

Twilight grabbed Rachel's hand and shook. Soon shook the other girls' hands and getting to know their names. Instead of a handshake from Pinkie, she gave her a bone crushing hug.

"Can't breath, can't breath." Rachel gasped out but tried to hug the pink pony.

Pinkie Pie giggled. "I'm a hugger!"

"Pinks…" Spike groans, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment.

"So am I." Fluttershy smiled as Pinkie Pie let's Rachel down.

"Don't kill her just yet." Starlight chuckles, going over to Rachel and patted her back as the human tried to get more oxygen in her.

"I'm good. I'm good." Rachel said after taking a few breaths before looking at the yellow pegasus. "I'm a hugger too, but it's just common courtesy to shake hands on first meet."

Twilight smiled at her for just saying that.

"Oh." Fluttershy said. But not before Rachel goes up to her and puts her arms around her waist - since Rachel was smaller than the mares in front of her - and gave her a hug.

"Better?" Rachel asked with a grin.

Fluttershy smiled and wrapped her arms around the human and hugged her back. "You're so soft."

"Why thank you!" Rachel giggled.

Popping out of Fluttershy's beach bag, Angel Bunny looks to see what was the commotion and he let out a loud gasp. In the bunny's mind of sight, angelic music played and hearts and roses surrounded Rachel. First Starlight and now this new girl.

More importantly, he was glancing at her firm breasts.

The bunny shot out of the bag, pounced on Rachel and clung to her chest. "Oh hello?!" Rachel jumps in surprised. Angel nuzzled up against her melons with a lovely sigh coming out of his little mouth.

"H-hey!" Spike snapped when he saw him just groping her. He gets up off of the table and goes towards the two. He'll gonna punt that bunny if he has to!

"Angel!? Ohmygosh I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy squeaked when she saw him on Rachel. Rainbow Dash, AJ, Pinkie Pie and Starlight laughs at the scene. Rachel was even laughing at this.

Fluttershy reached towards the rabbit. Angel let out a dog-like growl, slaps the mare's hand away and continues to put his face between Rachel's boobs and was actually motorboating. Spike went to pull him out when the bunny bit his hand, actually drawing a bit of blood from the Dragon.

"You little shit!" Spike yowls, shaking his hand.

Rachel then gives it a try. The bunny had an iron grip on her shirt, which only made her laugh even harder. This bunny just won't let up!

 _Lucky bastard…._ A tiny, tiny faint voice echoed in the dragon's mind, though not even he realized he made that thought.

Twilight, who was trying not to laugh, uses her magic and paralyzed the bunny and pulled him off of her. Angel had the sad puppy eyes and looked at Rachel with a wanted look. The alicorn giggled as she hands the bunny back to his owner.

Fluttershy held him in her hands as the magic went away. Angel reaches his tiny arms out trying to get to Rachel again.

"I am so sorry, Rachel." Fluttershy said, her face blushed red from what happened. "He never did that to anyone before. So embarrassing."

Rachel just laughs at that. "No no, it's fine. It's cute...just surprised."

Starlight puts a hand on Rachel's shoulder and giggled, leaning in and whispered, "Don't worry, you're not the only one he's attracted to you like that."

Rachel snickered.

Spike just send electrifying glares right into the Bunny's soul. The two had a stare down for a couple of seconds before he heard his named called out.

"Well, Spike what do you think?" Twilight called him out.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Spike asked, tearing away from the fluffy devil.

The girls giggled.

"Your friends just asked us to accompany them to the amusement park before the scavenger hunt tonight." Rachel smiled tenderly at the dragon. "I wouldn't mind we all hang out. What about you?"

 _They-what?!_ Spike mind went a hundred miles a second. He wanted just to hang out with her. That's why he asked to meet up with her…

But seeing already how she quickly bonded with Twilight and the others, he suddenly didn't mind.

"Sure, let's get going then." Spike grinned.

"What's going on here?" Rarity finally found them after walking for a few minutes. Sweating from the access walking across the beach. She then sees Rachel with Spike and just glares at the human, thinking of what she heard with her and her...friends…

"Oooooh…" The other girls oohed, finally remembering where they seen Rachel. From the beginning of the cruise and the paint can accident…

Even Rachel looked a bit uneasy. Spike saw how Rarity was looking at his human friend, his wings flexed and his eyes narrowed at the white mare.

"Now I know where she looks familiar…" Fluttershy whispers softly, her ears flung down softly.

The cowmare rubbed the back of her head, biting her lips. "Um...Rarity, this is Rachel. She's gonna be joining us to the park."

"We met...briefly." Rarity said, not taking her eyes off of the human.

Rachel cleared her throat. "My friends...told me what they did to you the other day… with the wine and names and all that… I'm sorry for their act...they can be overly protective of me and will lash out to anyone." She chuckles nervously. "And the paint accident...again."

The dragon watched how Rarity takes the apology again. Knowing Rarity she may hold some sort of grudge to an individual.

Rarity looked at the two and sighed, putting a hand on her hip. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go while we have light left."

"Took the words out of my mouth…" Starlight said nervously.

Twilight and the others turned about and head towards the boardwalk. Spike eyed at Rarity as he put a hand over Rachel's shoulder and walked with her. More of a protective manner than wanted to make his old crush jealous.

Even though that wasn't the case, Rarity's green-eyed monster grows ever slightly while she followed them.

In the amusement park, the gang walked around, buying fried greasy foods and pop and trying out various game booths.

The girls - but rarity - were telling their new friend tales of their past adventures, accomplishments. Even telling tales about Spike when he was a baby… their job. Embarrassing the shit out of him.

"And then Spike sneezed and set a fire all through the streets of Canterlot!" Twilight laughs, recalling her assistant being in charge of her royal duties one time.

"And nearly started a war between the changelings and dragons." Starlight giggled as well.

Rachel tried hard not to crack a smile at what she was hearing. Hearing every single story the girls had about the dragon but she was failing. She laughed from what she was hearing anyway.

Poor Spike just hung in the very back of the group, his face couldn't get any more red from embarrassment. He liked Rachel, don't get him wrong...but why?! Why did the girls must freaking do this to him?! He takes a sip of coke… though it wasn't his favorite Spiced Bean Vanilla creamsicle, it'll do for him...sadly.

Rarity didn't say anything towards Rachel since the beach. Probably a good thing since Rarity just kept looking at the human with pure hatred. She wanted Rachel to go away. After hearing her and her friends were talking about Spike - though taking it totally the wrong way - seeing how he looked at her while putting a hand on her…. As if they were together, together…

"Guys, can you please stop with the storytelling…?" Spike asked the girls with a groan.

"Why not?" Rainbow Dash said. "We're just filling your girlfriend in." Dash grinned, patting Rachel's back who just chuckled.

"We're just friends." Rachel told them but giggles on how red Spike was.

"So...Rachel? How did you come across Spike here?" Twilight then asked with a smile.

"Well...after the paint fiasco, Spike helped me out." Rachel said honestly.

"That's Spike alright," Applejack chuckles, adjusting her hat. "He helps anyone whom he sees. That's the kind of guy he is."

"I know." Rachel smiled, then looking at Spike. "A big guy with a big heart."

Good thing Spike was already red as he chuckles wearly at her comment and the way she was looking at him. "She needed help and I helped her out."

"And that was enough for you to bail him out?" Twilight continued her questioned.

"Well...I believed that what happened to Spike that he was defending himself." Rachel then said. "I was just paying it forward. That and we make a badass team in the ballcourt."

"Ooh! You two played basketball? I would've like to see that!" Pinkie said then going to her phone and go through the media. "Huh! There it is!" She shown the girls of the game quickly. Just as the two were making the final score. Somepony videoed the two play.

"Wow you two looked awesome!" Dash grinned.

Both Fluttershy and Rarity blushed red when seeing Spike shirtless… It was the first time the two girls seen the dragon without his shirt.

Rachel grinned and bumped the dragon's arm with hers. "Why thank you, Rainbow Dash."

Spike smiled at her and chuckled softly. "Yeah, we were okay yesterday." Spike grinned.

"Yeah, after the game and the ship jail thing, Spike and I had a little chat at the bar, I made sure not to give Big Guy here some booze." Rachel smirked, patting his arm.

"Oooh!" The girls - but Rarity who just gave another nasty glare at the human - oohed at them. Spike made a look at the girls.

"I thought you didn't work at the ship…" Rarity finally spoke with venom lacing in her words.

Rachel smirked mischievously. "Yeah, I know. But I work as a bartender in Fillydelphia. I know how to serve drinks to dragons who happen to stop by at the bar. And trust me...he needed it."

Twilight looked at the human for a moment before smiling at her. "Whatever you two talked about last night, it seemed to approve his mood. Thank you for that."

"I'm right here you know…" The drake muttered which resulted another pat from Rachel and a smile from her as well.

"That we know." She giggled. She then turned to the girls.

"So, you know a lot about dragons?" Fluttershy then asked her.

Rachel shrugged as they continued to walk to look for something to do. "Only from what I saw and attended to at my workplace." Rachel said. "I know they are greedy, sometimes rude. Fun at happy hour. So many stories they spread around." She chuckled at that as she goes through what she knows about dragons. "Oh and they can sing like no one can on karaoke friday."

That had all the girl laugh at that.

"Dragons can't sing. Dragons hate singing!" one of them commented that.

"They can't even carry a tune to save their life." Rarity laughs then.

From what they seen of dragons and with Twilight occasion trip to the Dragon Lands, not one creature - on the exception of Smolder, a dragon that attended to her school - and from the last time she heard her assistant sing, dragons can't sing.

Rachel raised a brow and glanced at Spike, who nervously coughed at that. "How much y'all wanna bet right now?" Rachel asked them who resulted on a WHAT?! From the dragon.

"Excuse me?" Applejack then asked.

"You guys heard me." Rachel cockyly said, crossing her arms. "Dragons can sing, it's rare and they were intoxicated before they spew fire and pass out. But they can sing."

"Um, Rachel, what are you doing?" Spike asked, his voice raised a couple of octaves. Though it did stung what his friends laughed about the singing bit...Rachel wasn't wrong.

"Proving my worth of knowledge." Rachel replied before looking at the girls.

"I like to see that bet." Rainbow Dash grinned.

"I'm in!" Pinkie said as well.

"I would like to hear as well." Fluttershy chimed in as well. "I always liked your singing, Spike."

"I'm in." Starlight shrugged but interested.

"How much in the pot?" AJ asked.

"Five bits from each of you." Rachel said. "If I'm lying, I'll forty - that's five bits to each and every one of you."

"Do you even have that much on you, darling?" Rarity asked in a snarking tone.

"I make more than what you make with your three boutiques in a year." Rachel only smirked. Rarity's face flustered with that statement. "I just only brought what I need for the trip." She then dug into her short pockets and pulled out a nicely sized pouch filled with golden bits. About the size of a pumpkin. "Got it all right in here."

"Hold up, before we start going into bets, what does Spike have to say to that." Twilight sagely said before all of the girls turning to Spike. He was nervously sucking his soda up dry to the point the cup shriveled up.

 _What to do? What to do!?_ Spike thought as he saw the girls looking at him for confirmation. His tail tucked in between his legs. Last freaking time he ever perform in public was when he was fourteen. He had done a piano show for the crystal ponies one night. He got too cocky and let some hecklers get into his head and he botched up the whole show. Though the ponies enjoyed the show, it was a total nightmare! And the only singing he had done was in the shower!

He went up to Rachel. "C-can I talk to you for a second?" Spike squeaked before clearing his voice.

The human nodded.

The two walked away from the group till it was just them. Away from the girls earshot.

"Are you insane or what?" Spike horsley whispered to her.

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered back. "But when your friends laughed about what I just said, I went off. Like I said before, I talk the first thing that come to my mind and it gets me into trouble."

"Yeah and dragged me into it." He shook his head. "I haven't perform anywhere in years!" He then sighed softly.

"You don't have to do it. Just tell them." Rachel then said. Spike looked down at her. "You don't have prove anything if you don't want to. I'm sorry for opening up my mouth."

The drake then sighed, his shoulders sagged a bit. Now he feels like he wants to just because of that.

"What's taking you guys too long?" RD called out. In that same arrogant tone just caused the dragon to snarl softly.

His eyes shifted down the park and saw where they were doing karaoke sessions. Three bits a song says on the little sign.

He looked towards Twilight and their friends, towards Rachel and then shook his head and takes off towards the booth.

"Huh? He's actually going to do it." AJ said before all the girls followed the dragon.

Spike took a deep breath, shaking his head again. "What am I doing this?" He asked himself as he got in line. On stage was a young filly who's voice sounded like nails against chalkboard singing some generic pop music, reading the words off of a tiny screen and singing offkey. His ears flung backwards just hearing her voice. Her parents out front were taking photos and videoing her being some pop star.

After two more long minutes, the little filly bows down after the end of the song and skips off past him.

"Next." A thin stallion monotonically said, sitting on a stool and flipping a magazine boredly. "Pay three bits, pick a song you see and sing to your heart's content."

"Thanks…" Spike muttered, putting three bits in a little jar with a sticky note attached to it that says "pay _hear_ " Literally, this pony wrote it that way. He then goes to the little machine that was next to it.

He goes through the listings of songs to sing. So many crappy, sappy, happy songs. Some were older than him, some just made him cringed just looking at the names. Spike glanced up and saw the girls were waiting out in front of the stage.

Rachel was in clear view from backstage…

Spike looks down on the machine, he scrolled down a couple of times till he spots a song. A Skullen Fang song. He was surprised that this thing actually had a song from the band. Granted it was one of their "cleaner" songs, but a good one nonetheless. One he wouldn't need to look at the screen.

Spike takes a gulp and walked out from the backstage and onto the stage up front. He gets up to the standing mic, ended up knocking into it.

" _Eah_!" He squeaked, quickly grabbed the stand before it fell and set it up right. Someone coughed from somewhere.

The dragon's heart was pounding hard out of his chest. His palms were already sweaty and he hadn't start singing.

"Just sing," Rachel said with a calm, enthusiastic advice. "Once you start singing, any fears you have will just fade away."

"It's true." Fluttershy giggled, agreeing with her.

The song started to play. A gentle electric guitar melody starts off first. Spike gripped onto the grip of the microphone and a hand on the stand.

He took a deep, shuddered breath before he opened his mouth…

And started to sing.

The first deep word that shot out of the dragon's snout, all of the mares in the group had their jaws dropped to the ground. It even had that stagepony poked his head out to see if what he was hearing was real.

"That's not Spike!" Rainbow Dash gawked, watching and listening the dragon nervously perform. "It can't be him."

"But it is…" Fluttershy sighed heavily. Her shy heart was pumping hard just the sound of that deep, musical, baritone voice. Though not as deep as Big Mac's nor when Flutters was under the poison joke, but it was enough to send lovely chills down her bones. Little hearts started floating around the pegasus.

"How is that possible?" Twilight asked with her mouth quivering. "I though…"

"You were right, baby dragons can't sing for shit." Rachel chuckled as Spike started going into the chorus. "But adult dragons on the other hand, they put ponies to shame." She motioned towards the stage as he straightened up a bit, getting comfortable where he was at.

As he came to the second opening, building a bit more confidence, he pulled the microphone off of the stand starts carrying it around with him and sang more of the song. Tourists stopped and formed around the stage cheering him on as if they were at an actual concert. Girls started trying to reach towards him.

Rarity moans softly, biting her lips when watching Spike performing. Her heart pumping louder than Fluttershy's. The way the light the sun was hitting him, the growing confidence he was building when he started singing the chorus again. She slowly wobbles towards the stage watching. Seeing him having fun on stage, singing in that magnificent voice, Rarity's knees brushed together.

 _What is this…?_ Rarity thought as she watched. Her hand placed over her aching heart. _Why am I suddenly like this?...is this what Spike felt towards me this entire time? This handsome, sweet, exhilarating dragon…_ "Spikie…" She whimpered.

Spike by now grew so much confidence as he reached towards a certain part of the song. His grin widened, the way he carried himself on stage, him letting himself go in this moment. He looked out into the large crowd that was now gathering in front of him. He sees his friends speechless to this new development.

He sees Rachel then. Swaying softly to the music, her eyes closes only briefly. Singing along to the song. Getting lost into the music. When she opened her eyes, Spike felt his heart skip a beat or two. He didn't think he could grip the mic any harder. Spike was a good singer. Now it was time to actually own it.

Rarity sees this look in Spike's eyes. She followed it and see him looking at the human girl. The green aura sparked up on her again, this time brighter. He was looking at Rachel the way he….

The way he use to look at Rarity before she broke his heart.

The song soon ended and the crowd went nuts. This feeling of enlightenment overwhelms the dragon. This was a different feeling than what he was used to. He gets the feeling of achievement when he saved the Crystal Empire, but this…. it felt different. Spike liked it.

Twilight, Starlight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy quickly tossed Rachel the five bits as they ran towards Spike, who was hopping off of the stage and pushed the screaming fans off of him.

"Guys! I was kidding!" Rachel laughs out loud but helds the bits in her hands. She really didn't mean to bet.

"That was amazing!" Twilight shouted as she jumped into the air, her wings picking up air so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders and gave him a huge hug. Using her magic to push the screaming fangirls off of him to do so.

The other girls gave Spike hugs as well and commented on how amazing he was on stage. How they had absolutely no idea that he had that talent in him. Apologizing for laughing at the dragons can't sing comment from before.

Spike chuckled softly, trying to wrap his arms around all the mares in front of him. "I didn't know I had it in me." He said before looking up at Rachel. Still holding the bits she earned but had the most tenderly smiles he'd ever seen in his life. Not even Fluttershy could even top this one.

"Never doubted you for a second, Big Guy." She smiled.

"Spike…" Rarity then steps up.

The other girls pulled apart and also turned to the white mare. She subconsciously rubbed her left arm with her right hand as she approached the dragon. Her ears dipped downwards.

"Yes?" Spike then straightens up.

"I...I am terribly sorry...for the way I acted the other day." She said softly, looking up to his green eyes. "I never realized… how much I actually hurt you all these years." the dragon's gaze softened when he heard those words coming out of her. "I'm sorry...I can only hope we can just...start over, just forget what happened and go back to the way things were." She steps up and put a hand on on his arm. "If you'll have me…?"

"Rarity… as much as I want to forget...I can't." Spike said. "What happened, happened. There's no change to that." He then smiled at her softly. "But that doesn't mean you can't stop relying the ol' noble dragon to help."

Rarity smiled back, with more feeling towards him than she ever has before.

 _Grrrrrrrrrr!_

Spike then blushed and put a hand on his stomach. "Oh boy, I'm hungry!" He chuckled nervously.

"Good thing too." Rachel then comes up, "You're friends are buying lunch." She grinned. Spike looked at her and grinned back.

"You better give me half of that. You did bet on me, I should get half of what you get." The dragon smirked, elbowing the human on her shoulder.

Rachel grabs a hand of his and puts the bits into the palm of his hand. "Never leaving ya hanging."

"Let's quit yappin' and get to snackin'!" Pinkie then got in the middle of the two and grabbing their hands. "Let's go lets go!" She then starts dragging them to where the foods were.

After getting a couple of milkshakes, fried funnel cakes, apple fritters and a colossal basket of fries, the gang then takes a seat at a wooden table.

The dragon licks his lips at the fritters before digging out the leftover baggie of gems - holding now about five left - setting them aside and started eating again.

His friends sitting in either side of him. Rarity was right next to him. Looking up with her big blue eyes and batting her little lashes at him. Seeing a whole new light of him.

But...Spike wasn't even paying attention to her like he normally would. He ate his fritters with smile. "Boy these are good!"

"Not as bad as mah family recipe," Applejack said, munching on one as well. "But they sure are not half bad."

Pinkie shakes a thing of sugar, caking the fried dough in white powder before eating it all in one bite. "DELICIOUS!" She giggled.

Rainbow Dash just eats a salad. Something about trying to stay fit. Wonderbolts do not tolerate flabby members or something she put it that way.

"i gotta say, Spike." Starlight then said with a smile. "You were amazing out on stage."

"Thank you." Spike grinned as he chewed his food.

"Most talented that I've seen so far." Rarity giggled. Which resulted in a nod from the dragon that just made her silently grunted.

"Maybe the Ponytones would be interested in you." Fluttershy smiled, sipping on her milkshake.

"Ponytones?" Rachel asked behind them. They all turned to her. She was holding a thing of fries and a chocolate-vanilla milkshake in both of her hands.

"It's a hometown acapella group in Ponyville." Spike answered, sitting up when he looked at her. Rarity's left eye twitched a bit in sight of the human. "Though it's a nice offer, Shy, but I'm going to have to say no." He then said to Fluttershy, looking at her. "Besides, Big Mac may feel as if he may get replaced."

AJ chuckled. "Yeah, he'll probably feel that way. Don't want ya two to get in a tussle for something silly."

"I like to hear them one day. Acapella is cool." Rachel said honestly that made Flutters blushed and her hair hiding her face.

Rachel nodded to them before turning around and went to find another seat since the bench was completely filled with no room, even for her small stature compared to them all.

Twilight and the other mares - beside Rarity - gave each other a look, almost communicating mentally and knowing exactly what they should do.

Rainbow Dash then gets up. "Take my seat, Rach." She said, maneuvering her legs over and offering her a seat. Rachel turned to see that.

"Oh, are you sure?" Rachel asked hesitantly.

The cyan mare blew her rainbow bangs out of her eyes. "I'm practically done. You take my seat."

"Oh, okay, thanks!" Rachel said as she walked over to the table and sat down.

"You know, I'm going to get more food." Starlight said as she grabbed her things and moved away from the tables as well.

One by one, the girls made some sort of excuse to get up and move away from the table. Confusing both Spike and Rachel as they got up and left them alone. Almost. Rarity was still sitting there, taking a sip of her mineral water.

"What's gotten into them?" Rarity asked.

She was then engulfed in turquoise blue aura and was lifted up with her drink in the air by Starlight's magic. "H-hey! Put me down!" Rarity shrugged as she was being carried away from Spike and Rachel.

The two watched this and blinked. "Well….that was interesting?" Rachel cleared her throat.

"Yeah, it was…" Spike said, seeing the girls sit at another table across ways from them. Leaving them...Ohh! Now he gets it.

He turned to Rachel and smiled. "At least we get to hang out alone for a bit." He said, relaxing now. "I really wasn't expecting everyone join in."

"I don't mind at all, actually." Rachel said, eating a fry. "Family is meant to gang up on the new arrival."

"Family? Family don't embarrass you in front of company." Spike sighed, scratching the scales on his neck.

Rachel giggled. "Big Guy, from what they told me from the stories and how they think highly of you. The years you all spent with each other, that's family." She then points at them. "Those girls have the right to embarrass their baby brother." The dragon blushes. "The twins embarrass my ass all the time. That's what family does."

"I meant to ask this before? How did you come to contact with them?" He asked, taking a bite out of his fritter. "I mean, they threatened to throw your stuff overboard, take your stuff and all."

The human snickered. "It's just how they are." She said, dipping a couple of fries into her milkshake before eating it with a smirk. "Boy this is good. Anyway, how I met them...you already know that I took the money the government gave me and blew it all on traveling equestria and broke down in Fillydelphia. It was late one night, no money to get a room or food. So I slept in some box between a laundry mat and a strip club."

Spike sat up and smirked. Like any other guy, his mind goes in all sorts of direction when thinking of nude mares dancing.

"Ruby and Gemcity are strippers yes, but come back to earth, Big Guy." Rachel laughs, seeing the look on his face. "It was three in the morning when the two got off of their shifts. One of those two ended up stepping on my leg, scaring the living hell out of me and I jump up screaming." She then scratching her cheek. "Let's just say things got involved with pepper spray, a box of old moldy pizza, a poor innocent kid who just happened to be out late at night, magic and a trip to the slammers for all three of us." She laughed at that.

"Oh shit," Spike blurted out laughing. He couldn't even begin to imagine how that all trasended. "What happened next?"

"Well, after being processed and having ponies who never seen a human before looking at me like I'm some alien - which I am, come to think about it - they put all three of us in the same holding cell for the night. At first, all three of us were fuming pissed at each other over something that was clearly a misunderstanding. We then started talking and didn't stop till morning broke. One of the guys from the Settlement place came to bail me out and take my ass back to the Settlement place. Out of the blue, Ruby then told him, bold faced lie, that I was living with them and it wasn't my fault that I was dragged with them to jail. Some legal motion was then set in, met the two Princesses Luna and Celestia and they let Ruby and Gemcity take me in legally during the Year Trial. Been with those bitches ever since." She smiled at the end.

"We've been through so much in seven years that we became closer than blood." Rachel said. "Though there are times where I want to beat them silly."

Spike giggled, reaching over, snagging a fry before eating it. "Oh I know." He teased from this morning.

Rachel reached over and playfully pushes him on the arm. "Now, you told me about how you and Twilight met, what about the rest of the girls?"

"You interested in them?"

"As much as they are interested in overhearing us." Rachel grinned, subtly looking towards the mares watching them like hawks. When Spike looked up, the girls quickly moved their heads and pretended they weren't doing such.

Spike narrowed his eyes at them before making a mischievous grin on his face and turned to the human. "It's a doozy though."

She leans in close, propping her arm on the table and putting her head on her hand and had the same grin on hers. "I do love me a doozy."

So, Spike started telling Rachel what happened. What transpired him and Twilight to move from Canterlot to Ponyville, how The Princess didn't want anything to do with friends and just wanted to study her flank off and yet one by one, all the girls warmed up to her during the battle of Nightmare Moon. From Pinkie gasping outloudly and ran off as soon as Twilight opened her mouth and later on throwing her a welcome to the neighborhood party; AJ having her joining the family reunion; Rainbow Dash messing up her mane with her speed and lightning by accident; Fluttershy more interested in the baby dragon than Celestia's student; Meeting Rarity as she was decorating the town hall (though he didn't add the part where he had a major crush on her from that day on till a few days ago). Meeting Starlight and having her taken in - though serious but the human understood it. But the rest, all ended up with Rachel having a hysterical fit, in tears laughing which had Spike laughing as well.

The two soon started swapping out stories from their pasts - though most of Rachel's was when she came to Equestria (which says a lot from her not mentioning her homeworld). Both of them chatting away, enjoying the time they had on that table.

Across ways from them, Twilight and the others were trolling at their table, watching them.

"Aww, they look so cute together." Fluttershy giggled, her hands were together and gave a long sigh filled with ogling happiness.

"What do you guys think of Rachel?" Twilight asked them as they were trying to spy on the two.

"So far, she's seems pretty okay by me." Applejack said. "Smart too."

"Yeah, who knew that she knows more about dragons than all of us." RD chuckled. "And we all had a dragon with us for years!"

"I haven't seen Spike smiling like this before and it's awesome!" Pinkie shouts, which caused the other girls to hush her.

"I know." Twilight said, looking at the two. "There's something about her that's making Spike act like this. Though it's only been a day, but I can already see a change within him. I just hope he doesn't get hurt."

"He will." Rarity grumbled, which caused all the girls to turn to her.

"Excuse me?" Starlight asked.

The unicorn stood up and braced her arms on the table in a slamming manner. "While I was in the bathroom, I overheard that human and her so called "friends" plotting to use Spike for their sick perverted games."

"You're just being over dramatic, as usual." Rainbow Dash sighed. "You don't know that."

"We don't know her!" Rarity emphasis towards the human. "I heard what I heard. Those unicorns and that human wants to do such barbaric acts towards Spike. And her, she's using her looks to get him under her spell and it's working."

Applejack raised a brow towards the mare. "Like you do?"

Rarity blankly blinked. "What…?"

Fluttershy sighed softly and looked at her. "Rarity, you use your looks to get what you want. It's how you had Spike wrapped around your finger."

"But I heard what she and her heithing friends talked about him!" Rarity shouted.

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "Okay, we'll keep an eye on her, but Rarity, you need to calm down."

"How can you girls be nice to her?" Rarity asked with a growl.

"Um, hello? It's called giving her the benefit of the doubt." Rainbow Dash replied, crossing her arms. "If she does something to hurt him, we'll be on her ass for it. No one messes with our little buddy. But until we have proof that she's scheming against Spike, leave them be till then."

"I will have to agree with Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. The other girls nodded in agreement.

Rarity sits back seething. Something was up and she'll get to the bottom of this Rachel. The dress ruining, rude, manipulative homosapien will not take Spikie Wikey away.

"We'll give her a chance." Twilight said before Pinkie Pike hushed them.

"Something's happening!" She hissed at them, pulling out a pair of binoculars out of her curly mane and looked through them. Seeing the two species interacting with each other.

The colt from before runs up to them, well it Spike. From what they saw from afar, some words were exchanged , the colt looked more excited than frightened earlier before. His mother runs in then, still terrified like from before, grabs her son's hand and pulled him away. At first, Spike just shook his head, feeling like crap when all of the sudden, Rachel gets up from the table and stood in front of the mother and her boy.

Rachel said something to her, motionioning her hands towards Spike and towards the table where Twilight and the others sat. More words exchanged and the mother's mood lightened and even became sort of a fan girl and came to Spike. Giving hugs and autographs which lightened Spike's mood already.

"Well, look at that." Starlight chuckled, watching that.

"She's good! Even though we're too far to hear a dang thing!" Pinkie said, setting the binoculars down on the table. "Why are we even this freaking far?"

Twilight giggled and looked to her assistant and the human and smiled. "We're letting them have their time."

Rarity's horn sparked even more of a brighter green.

Back to the two…

Spike chuckled as he waved Skyheart and his mother Riversong off. He was very impressed how quickly Rachel changed the situation and turned back to her. "That was awesome. What did you say to her?" He asked her then.

Taking a bite of her last fry, she smirked at him. "All I told her that you were The princess of friendship's loyal companion and she put two and two together." She chuckled.

"Companion? You mean assistant?"

"Big Guy, you're more than an assistant. The years all of you been through together, the adventures you told me, you're a companion. An awesome at that." Spike smiled and blushed. Though he was used to being praised in the Crystal Empire, the way she does it...made his heart fluttered softly.

"You know…" Rachel then said, pushing her trash aside and smiled at him. "The scavenger thing that's tonight, it's a two person event."

"So I've heard." Spike smiled, liking where she's going with this.

"Well, how about you and I do it together?" She then asked him.

The dragon smiled and nodded. "I would like that, alot."

She giggled, moving her bangs out of her eyes. "Good."

Hours soon past. Celestia's sun descended for it's rest and soon Luna's moon rises. When night arised, it changed the mood of the island drastically. The creatures participating in the scavenger hunt gathered around the docks of the ship where the Captain and the resort manager had gather the participants for a few words.

"Everypony listen up, this is the first time the cruise liner and our resort destination have came up together for this event." Captain Sea Sun begins. "The scavenger consists in partnership, meaning you and your partner must work together to retrieve the five objects." He held up five fingers in the air for everypony to see. "The items you all must seek will be handed out shortly. But first, a few words from my associate."

Captain Sea Sun soon stepped aside and this sort've gangling zebra wearing a baggy blue shirt and shorts steps up to the group.

He cleared his voice before speaking. "Yes, hello. My named is Xerath, I am the resort manager here. Before all of you get into a groups of two, a few simple rules.. Number one: in order to get the prize, you must have all of the exact items in your possession. Number two: with the map you will also be given, you must stick to the path. If you rinder off the course, you will be disqualified. Number three: You must be vigilant towards your opponents and must not steal from one another or else not only you'll be disqualified, but you will be escorted from the island and will be banned until further notice. Be respectful towards our laws and rules and all of you should have a good time."

"Now," The captain spoke, "gather your partners and come up to retrieve your map and list and go have fun. All of you have until this hourglass-" A few shipmates pushed a cart that contained a big hourglass. Sea Sun grabbed for it and turned it upside down and set it down, the sand began to fall to the other side. "- is full. This is three hours. It starts now!"

Ponies started running up towards them and went frantic on grabbing the items they needed before taking off. Leaving the captain and the manager tangled up and were seeing stars.

"I'll get it." Rachel chuckles, elbowing the dragon playfully before she walked over to the two and helped them up in the process.

Spike held back and waited when he felt someone tugging at his arm. "Let's darling." It was Rarity. His eyes shifted down and looked at her. "You and I are quite amazing when it comes to finding objects, don't you think?" She giggled.

The dragon just narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing?" He asked her.

"The hunt, darling," Rarity replied. "Well I figured since you and I have always find objects to use for my fashion line, this would be a piece of cake for the both of us." She pressed up against his arm. His arm squeezed against the mare's breasts. Normally, he would be all for it, especially the feel of her boobs on him. But now… he just pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"Sorry, Rarity, but Rachel already asked me and I said yes." Spike said, smoothing out the wrinkles on his arm.

Rarity scuffed. "She doesn't know anything about-"

Spike then got into her face. His gaze darkened and his chest bulged up. "Rarity, I'm only going to tell you once, whatever it is you have going on or what you have against Rachel, it needs to stop. Now." The way he said it gives Discord's scary voice and look a run for his bits. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it."

"Yo, Big Guy!" Rachel called Spike. He turned around and saw her waving the items they needed to start the hunt, along with a flashlight and a small woven empty picnic basket to use. "Let's go! I wanna get this started!"

He chuckled. "Coming." He said before giving one last warning look to Rarity, silently telling her again to stop ahead before he walked over to Rachel and they left together.

They walked towards the forest before Rachel looked at the list. "Okay, the items we need to find is: A Luminous crystal; four firefly flowers, an amore worm, a twig of a…" She squinted at the page to read it properly. "A twig from a dragon sneeze tree."

Spike let out a nervous gulp. "A-a dragon...sneeze tree?" He asked, just to be sure as his tail nervously tucked between his legs and wrapped around one of them.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Rachel asked him, looking up.

"Well, yeah, there is." Spike said, scratching his snout. Just even thinking about those stupid trees makes his nose itchy. "I'm, uh, allergic to them…" He admits as he scratches. "All dragons are. Hence the name…"

"Oh." She put the paper down for a second. "I didn't know."

"Neither did I till I nearly burned Canterlot." He grumbled in remembrance. "It didn't help when Twilight made me in charge...that didn't go so well either."

"Yikes." Rachel said. "I'll make sure not to let you get anywhere near them."

"I'll keep my distance." _Like fifty miles away,_ Spike thought but wasn't true. He will though keep away from them.

The girl lifts up the list again and looked at the rest. "Lastly is some stone that has similar markings of Princess Cadence's cutie mark etched on it." She shown him the list.

Spike looked and he let out a snicker. "Hey, it does look like it."

The two embarked on the journey to find the objects. The first one was soon to be an easy find. The map had lead them inside of a cave where a whole lot of those crystals lay inside, lighting the darkness where their flashlights could not pierce through. Obviously footprints of their competition came through there. Spike just grabbed one, placed it in the basket and walked out with the human.

"Sweet." Rachel takes the pencil she was using before and crossed off the crystal on the list. "One down, four to go." then stuffs the writing utensil in her pocket.

"Where's your sketchbook?" Spike asked.

"Pinkie Pie took it, remember?" Rachel smirked. "Apparently you're not the only one who's enjoying my artwork."

 _How can anyone not? It's amazing_ , Spike wanted to say, but instead, "Yeah, Pinkie does has some sticky fingers."

"I'll say," She giggled. She then opens the map and begans reading off where they needed to go.

The dragon looks about the crystal. He tilted his head slight, though the crystal was more of a yellow color, the shape reminds him of something. "Strange déjà vu."

"What is?" Rachel then asked as she looked at the map. "Sheeh, I am so not a cartographer"

"The shape of this crystal." Spike said. He takes it out of the basket and held it up to show her. "What shape of it do you see?" He asked her.

Folding up the map and tuck it in the waistline of her shorts, Rachel looked up and study it a bit. "Hmm, some say the shape looks like a symbol for Batman."

"Bat-who?"

The human giggled, _he's got so many movies to watch_ , she thought before looking at the crystal. "A heart. It looks like a heart."

He looked at her confused with the bat thing before giving her a nod. "Yeah, a heart. This crystal reminds me of the Crystal Heart."

"Crystal Empire's heart?"

"Yeah," He says again. "I remember years ago when I was a little kid. The Empire was under attack, influenced by a tyrant called King Sombra." Spike explained to her. "Twilight and the others tried to keep the Crystal Ponies filled with love and hope. Things didn't go as planned and I ended up delivering the Crystal." He chuckled.

Rachel stopped walking and looked at the dragon. "You're that Spike?" Her eyes had grown big in realization. "I only been to the Empire once - a beautiful the empire was - those statues and paintings hung all over...that was of you?"

Spike chuckled, seeing her reaction. "Yeah...even today those ponies see me as a hero."

The human then gets on her knees and began bowing. "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!" Spike started to laugh because even though he was used to seeing this with the Crystal Ponies and they mean it, the way Rachel was going at it in a more comical way which only made the dragon laugh harder. "I'm not worthy to be in your presents, oh Spike, the Brave and Noble."

"Get your ass up." Spike laughed, shaking his head.

Rachel giggled and stood up, dusting the dirt off her knees. "Seriously though, I did not realize you were _that_ Spike. I bet it's awesome having all those mares fawn over you."

He grinned. "It has its perks. But I don't abuse the power."

"I would." She said.

"Trust me, if I held any power, I let greed get to me and it always ended up bad." He said. "One time, me and a friend of mine Big Mac decided to spend guys night Discord's way. He persuade me to use the status I held for the Crystal Ponies and…" He blushed embarrassingly. Thanks to that bastard's manipulation abilities, he and the others bedded with a few mares that night. What was worse was the fact Spike couldn't remember what exactly transpire that night. All he remembers was Discord trying to get Spike to talk to some other female instead of the ones he's used to and then _BLAM!_ He wakes up in some low down motel with some crazed fan mare laying next to him naked.

Fucking Discord.

"Oh, don't say anything else." Rachel chuckled. "Just you saying Discord gave me all I needed."

"Thank you."

The two soon went about the island, following the map, finding the items they needed for the hunt. Though Spike is an excellent hunter, he was purposely taking his time walking beside Rachel. Making wrong turns on the map, confusingly picking up the wrong worm, dropping the stone through a crack so they would have to backtrack to get another stone. His mind wasn't fully into the hunt. He was using this time to spend more time with the human. Though, winning would be a good bonus, spending this moment with her, listening her crack some hilarious jokes, chatting straight up bullshit and they both know it. He never had that before with anyone in his life. Not even his friends, not to Thorax, not to Ember, Big Mac, the CMC, the girls, anyone in his life, he felt more comfortable around this human.

He even told her things he couldn't tell others. Personal stuff and she just listens. He felt like she understands him more and sympathizes with Spike.

They soon came across a rather patch of yellow flowers with orange bulbs overtaking this clearing. Rachel looked at the list, studied the pic on it and looked back. "Huh, so these are the firefly flowers." She said. "I thought they looked familiar."

"Oh?" The dragon raised a brow as he bent down and grabbed the flowers and plucked them up.

"These flowers have a special surprise, when they are heated up at a certain high temperature, they give out a display of lights. Something resembles fireflies, hence the name." She explained before looking up at the dragon. "I have a coworker, a cocktail waitress, she has the ability to identifying and examining flowers. She gets flowers from admirers a lot." Rachel chuckled. "She'll blab about every flower she gets and I just happened to listen."

Spike smiled and looked at her. "Good to know. That's very interesting to hear actually." He said before standing up. He put the four flowers in the basket and hands a fifth to her.

Rachel smiled and grabbed it from him.

With a tiny burst of fire puffing out of his mouth. The fire hits the flower, engulfing it whole. The flower sucked up the flame, the orange bulb grew and grew, doubling in size before it pops open. A tiny light hovers above the yellow flower. Given out this beautiful glow.

"Wow…" Rachel spoke in awe, looking at the tiny light as it disappeared a moment later. Just this tiny light brought something in her eyes. Though it was a glimpse, Spike saw this.

He grabbed her hand and lead her to the middle of the patch. "Wait here." He tells her before walking off a few feet.

"Spike, what are you doing?" Rachel asked as he stood about forty meters away.

"Okay, this should be far enough." Spike muttered to himself. He turned to Rachel, making sure she was watching closely. Seeing that she was far enough.

Spike inhaled deeply, his chest extended out. The familiar taste of sulphur rising from his fire glands, tasting it on his tongue. His snout casted a light fiery green before a stream of green fire shout out of his mouth. The fire shot down the line of flowers, Rachel was at enough distance so she wouldn't get burn. The dragon continued to breathe fire, slowly walking around in a circle, setting a large amount of flowers in a green blaze. There would be enough for the scavenger hunt, but this amount was just enough.

Enough for this…

Like that single flower from moments ago, the yellow petals absorbed the flames, sucking up the flames till it disappeared. The orange bulbs grew and grew before they all exploded, but instead of that tiny floating light like the first one. The lights exploded in a brilliant display of lights hovering all around them. Tiny dancing lights floating about.

"Oh my...Spike..." Rachel gasped out, seeing the lights over them. Her mouth being covered in her hands in surprised. Her eyes sparkled, twinkling at the sight of the lights. As pretty as a painting, as beautiful in person.

Spike looked at the lights in awe as well. He didn't realize that these would be beautiful to see. The dragon reached for one of the floating lights. Wanting to try something. His hands heated up the same temperature as his fire and touched a light. As soon as he touched the light, that light exploded, sending an array of dancing lights, looking like stars lighting up the patch of flowers they were in. That itself sent a domino affect to those still floating in the air. A burst of brilliant light lit up the night. It was so bright and amazing looking that it could be seen by Luna who was looking over the night in Canterlot.

The dragon shifted his gaze away from the lights and looked at Rachel. He could've sworn he felt his heart stopped when he saw her. Really, truly saw her. The way the lights shined down upon her, the look in her eyes. The way they shined, her smile seemed brighter, her laugh as the lights floated around her, some floated around her neck to look like she was wearing a necklace. This feeling he was experiencing… this wasn't how he felt when he first saw Rarity, this was different. Much, much different.

He wanted to kiss her.

"This is beautiful." Rachel said looking at the lights just as they started to disappear, slowly, one by one.

"And so are you…" Spike said then. The human turned from the lights and looked up at him

Their eyes gazed into one another as the amber died down. The fire of desire between them grew as the gap closes in. Spike raised a hand up and placed it on Rachel's cheek, his thumb gently rubbed against her smooth skin. Rachel placed her hands on his chest and brought herself on her tiptoes, trying to get to as tall as she could for him.

They leaned in as the last of the lights started to dissipate. Their lips reached, they were so close that they could feel their hot breaths on their skin - and scales, seconds of sealing this silent want, which was clear to be seen by the two. Both had closed their eyes and their bodies pressed up against the other, the~

 _ **SQUEAK!**_

The sound booming squeak caused Spike to jump, which causes him to accidentally headbutt Rachel in the face.

"Oh fuck!" Rachel shouted, stumbling back and gripping at her nose with her hands. Blood started to seeping out of her fingers and her eyes watered.

"Shit fuck! Rachel I'm so sorry!" Spike frantically said. _I can't believe this!_ He thought as he dug into his pockets and pulled out some tissues and rushed to bring them to her. Spike recognized that loud squeak from anywhere, though it sounded miles away, he knew what it was. "I'm so gonna kill Pinkie Pie." He snarled as he helped Rachel.

"What does she got to do with this...oh shit that fucking hurt." Rachel groaned, removing her bloody hand and pressed the tissues to her bloody nose and tilted her head back and took deep breaths.

The two soon returned to the ship, being that they were gone more than three hours intentionally and didn't win a prize. They didn't care. On the way back was awkward silence between the two.

They didn't say anything else since the incident. Lucky that her nose didn't break but there was so much blood you might've thought she was dying or something. Turns out it's how she is internally. She'll bleed like a stuffed pig, even from a paper cut it takes a while for the bleeding to stop. But after a few bottles of orange juice and some cookies she was better.

Spike on the other hand...he felt like shit. He had his moment and now, because of Pinkie Pie and her cannon, he hurt Rachel.

He occasionally glanced over his shoulder as they walked to the ship to make sure she was okay. That she wasn't mad of him. _Way to go, numbnuts_ , Spike thought, rubbing his snout and grunted.

"Spike, it's fine." Finally, Rachel spoke as they boarded. She walked over to the railing and leaned against it, looking up at him. "It's an accident, I'm better now."

"You sure?" Spike muttered at her. "You got hurt...because of me."

"No, I got hurt because I didn't know your friend had a cannon." Rachel said. "But I'm not mad. Accidents happen. Pinkie didn't intentionally set it off."

Spike sighed. "I know." He said but his ears were still drooping. "Well… good night." He said.

As he turned away, he felt a pair of soft lips pressing against his cheek. He turned to the human and blushed red and his ears came back up. "Don't be such a downer, there's always tomorrow we can hang out." Rachel said with a smile, pressing a hand to his heart. "Another day to start anew."

The human would feel how fast his heart was beating in his chest, only caused her to grin. She patted him before retracting her hand. "Good night…" She said before she turned herself to walk.

"Wait." Spike said suddenly, grabbing her hand before she could leave. "There's something I gotta ask you, something important. If I don't ask it now, I'll forever be a worthless chicken."

Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, she gazed up at his eyes. "Yeah, what's up?"

Spike took a few deep breaths before looking at her. "Will….when we hang out...c-can it be a...well what I am trying to ask is…" He stuttered, biting his lips. He let out a growl, mainly to himself. "Rachel, do you want to go out on a date tomorrow?" He finally spat it out.

Rachel blinked before smiled softly. She stood on her tippy toes again and gave him a small peck on the lips that caused the dragon to stiffen up. "What took ya so long?" She giggled.

The dragon started chuckling nervously. "Well, I...well um…" Not counting Discord and his asshole tricks, this was...the first kiss of his that he could actually remember. He became a bumbling wreck.

"See you in the morning, Big Guy." Rachel said, tapping him on the nose before walking away. Looking back he could see that she was just as red as he was from the kiss. But there was no ounce of regret. "Don't be late for our date in the morning." She said before walking away giggling like a little school girl.

 _Date...date...date…_ That word echoed in his brain. Circling in and out of his ears.

"I have a date…" He mutters. "I have a date." He says it again but this time louder and more enthusiastic. "I HAVE A DATE!" He said it this time as a roar filled with excitement and joy, his arms up in the air like he had made a touchdown of his life. His first da-

Then it finally hit him…

"I have a date…" He spoke softly. He began to sway before passing out right on the deck.


	4. Day Four: Part One

It was safe to say that Spike was nervous. His hands were clammy and his heart was racing. Half way through the night, he paced around his room, trying to think of things to do for his first date. Not just a luncheon or spending time with the other girls. It was just going to be him and Rachel.

 _Rachel_ … Just even thinking about her gives him goosebumps. How in Equestria could he even have goosebumps? He doesn't even have hair on his body!

Spike was so nervous that he was having trouble finding the right shirt to wear in his suitcase.

"No, too old," He tossed out this one orange faded shirt. "Too stupid." Spike tosses out this blue novelty T-shirt that had a pink dinosaur imprinted on the front that Pinkie Pie gotten him years ago. "Stupid, ugly, out of date!" He grunts loudly as he digs around.

As he went through his suitcase, he finds a Rarity plushie in his case and picked it up. The dragon stared at it, remembering when he first made it before tossing it over his shoulder. The plushie hits the back wall before falling into a trash bin.

"I can't wear that suit, it's all burned up." The dragon groans, thinking about the tux he wore on the first night. "Why didn't I pack something nice? Or flame retardant for that manner." He sighed, shaking his head. "Look at me, worrying about clothes…"

The dragon walked over to his bed and sat down, his tail draping off of the edge and his wings sagged into the mattress. "Okay, just calm yourself down, Spike." He told himself, rubbing his face. He had long since removed the bandages from his face and his eye wasn't black.

Outside of the room…

" _Pss_! Twilight, you see him in there? Has he left for his date yet?" Pinkie loudly whispered to her.  
All of the mares stalked outside of Spike's room. Twilight was using her magic to peek through the door without being detected.

"No, he's having problems getting dressed." Twilight answered quietly. "He seems nervous."

"This is his first date, he is going to be nervous." Fluttershy said. "I remember how nervous I was with my first date."

"Yeah, first dates are always awkward." Dash said. "Once he gets the boost he needs, that girl won't stand a chance."

"We don't want them to get hurt." Flutters said.

"That's not what I meant." The cyan mare said.

"Let's just be there for support. That's all he needs." Applejack said. "What's he doing now?" The country mare asked the princess then.

Twilight looked back to the room, her ears drooped. "Oh no, he got the mustache out and putting it on."

Six out of seven of the mares groaned. Not the dreaded mustache!

"Welp, this date is botched." AJ sighed softly.

"Not if we give him help when he needs it." Starlight said as Twilight backed away from the door.

Rarity blew her mane out of her eyes, crossing her arms in the process. "I still say we make him not go on this date. That girl will do nothing but break Spike's heart."

"Can't break it anymore than you did." Rainbow Dash said underneath her breath.

"As-as much as I want to help Spike and his date, should we...let them be and see how they do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Guys, I-"

The door then swings open, Spike, wearing now just a simple black sleeveless t-shirt and jeans, giving all the mares one hell of a menacing glare. Causing Twilight to jump and turned around to face him.

"He-hey Spike." Twilight chuckled nervously. Scratching at the back of her mane. "You seem...refreshed for your date today."

Spike just stared at them, leaning against the doorway. "I'm only going to warn you girls once." He said. "As much as I appreciate you guys wanting to help...Don't."

"Spike, we were only-" Starlight was then cut off by a raised hand from the drake.

"I mean it, if you girls do anything that can potentially ruin this date — I am already nervous as it is — I don't need any help. So please," He then says. Taking a deep breath before staring at all of them. "Stay away from us today or else." He threatens them with a smile.

"Don't know what yer talkin' about." Applejack said. Her eyes turned away from him and her pupils dilated.

Spike just grunted, grabbing his jacket that was hung on the door, stepping out and shuts it. "Applejack, don't play poker." He says it as he slips the jacket on. He then gave the girls one last warning look, especially towards Rarity who just stared at Spike with an unamused glare.

"I mean it guys." He said before walking off down the hallway. Hopefully these girls would heed his warning and stay away.

Like that's ever gonna happen!

As soon as the drake was out of earshot, the girls huddled together in the hallway.

"Okay, how do we help Spike and not get our butts turn to ash?" Rainbow Dash then asked. "I gotta make it back for Wonderbolt practice. We got a show to do in Salt Lick City."

"Obviously all of us tagging along together will only make things worse." Applejack said. "We gotta be smart about this."

"I say we just leave them alone, let them figure things out." Fluttershy sighed. Shaking her head before placing a stray strain over her pony ears. "It is their date after all."

"More importantly, it's Spike's first date." Twilight said. "All these years he has help us a lot with everything. Now it's time to help him. Here's the plan." The girls, and reluctantly Fluttershy, leans and listen to the princess.

"It's gotta be fun." Pinkie said quickly. "Dates are meant to be fun and exciting, memorable."

"Since Rachel's human, it's not going to be hard. Humans are amazed when it comes to magic and other creatures they haven't seen before." Starlight said.

"Um, guys, you do realize she's been here for a while. During which she knows more about dragons than us." Rainbow Dash said. "We gotta step up our game."

"Right," Twilight said. "Now, we'll each take a turn following the two. If it seems like the date is going to be a bust, we'll do our best to make this the best date Spike and Rachel ever had."

"But what of Spike's threat?" Fluttershy squeakily asked. "He sounded like he'll hurt us if we intervene."

"We'll deal with that when it comes down to it." Twilight said, sure of herself. "Now, let's split up, scatter across the island. When we see them, we'll step in. All with me say aye!"

Six out of seven agreed.

"Okay, next topic," Starlight says, "where is Rarity?"

"Huh?" The others looked about and saw that Rarity was long gone.

"Maybe...she went back to her room?" Fluttershy asked. Though it was unlikely.

* * *

Spike ventured outside at the docks. Going over the plan for this day in his head, he and Rachel would go walking through the amusement park, check out the local scenery, hang out on the beach - which reminded him that he needed to head back to his room to retrieve his trunks he had forgotten when he left - grab some lunch, walk-

Sheesh there was a lot of walking involving in this.

"Okay, calm down," Spike muttered to himself as he thought of things for them to do. "Don't get yourself worked up." He watched as other passengers walked out of the ship and headed towards the island. "We'll just go to the park and work our way from there."

His stomach then growled and he groaned deeply. "Crap, I need to eat first." He sighed.

"Good, I'll buy." Spike turns around and Rachel stood there. How the heck did she ended up behind him? Dressed in a button up red and black plaid shirt, dark jeans, and heeled ankle boots. Her hair was up like yesterday but she had hot pink streaks in her hair that shimmered in the morning light.

"How the-" Spike motioned his head towards her and back at the ship confused. "How did you get behind me?"

Rachel grunted before pointed up at the ship where Gemcity had her head stuck out of the port hole. "She needed help!" The purple unicorn cackles before slinking back in.

"We have a rule where they don't use magic on me, I don't hurt them." Rachel sighed. "Gem there is close enough for me to throw her overboard."

"That's kinda brutal for you to say that."

"You spend five minutes with her and Ruby and see you don't want to throw them hoes off the railing." She said before letting out a laugh. "We played around with each other enough to get away from saying that stuff to and about one other." She approached the dragon and took hold of his arm. "Now, let's get this date started."

Spike let out a nervous laugh. Going blank right now. All what he had just planned went down the drain as he stood there with a stupid look on his face.

Both of them stood at the docks for a few moments. It was clear that each other anticipated on who would start this day off. Already… it was awkward.

Thank goodness though, Rachel spoke up. "Um, let's get some chow, sound good?"

"Yeah," Spike said that way too quickly.

With a nod, the young couple walked off of the docks and headed into town.

The weather pony depict the usual; all clear skies, sunny, not much of a temperature drop sometime this afternoon. The two made their way to a small local diner and sat in. Their booth just next to the window. Spike and Rachel ordered a meal from the waitress and waited.

"So, is there anything interesting you would like to do after we eat?" Spike then asked her. Sipping on his cup of joe.

"Hmm," Rachel thought, her blackened nails tapping on the table. "I'm pretty much good on anything you think of."

"You sure?" Spike asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

The two took a sip of their drinks in silence.

"Um…, I guess we can go out and play some of the games the amusement park has to offer." Rachel said.

"That sounds like a plan to me." Spike smiled. He takes another sip of his coffee when his eyes caught a reflection from the window. A familiar pair of purple wings and horn sticks out from a booth from across the diner. Spike choked and sputtered on the hot drink.

"Spike?" Rachel asked alarmed, looking at him. "You okay?" She asked as she then reached over and patted his back as he coughed.

"Y-yeah." He coughed, taking a paper towel and coughs into it. Spike looked back into the mirror and saw that the purple reflection was not there. "Thought I...saw something."

"What was it?" Rachel asked as she stretched out her neck to see what he saw.

"It's nothing probably."

"You sure?" Rachel asked as she continued to pat his back.

Spike nodded as the coughing bit stopped. "I'm good. I'm good." he said, breathing heavily as the waitress brings out their breakfasts.

He let out another cough before grabbing his fork and began eating his food and Rachel eating hers.

Across the diner, Rarity sat at the very back booth, concealing herself with the menu, she spied at the two eating their breakfast. Decked out in one of her noir mystery detective outfits. Though this time she wasn't there to solve a mystery.

Rarity was there to break the couple up before things get too serious. Adjusting her hat, she looked at the two.

She watched as Rachel reached for the honey and poured some into her coffee before taking a drink of it. Setting the honey right next to the ketchup and mustard bottles, an idea came to mind.

And what a coincidence, the human scooted out of the booth, patted Spike's shoulder before heading towards the restroom. Spike had dug into his eggs and his fork slipped to the ground.

"Oops," He said before bending down to grab the fork.

Rarity smirked before using her magic - which the aura was a light shade of jealous green - to raise the condiment bottles and squirted it into Rachel's coffee, using a spoon to stir it rapidly. Then quickly setting the items down as Spike came back up after wiping the fork down.

Now, the fun begins.

Twilight, who was hiding somewhere in the kitchen area, saw the bottles and let out a gasp. Recognizing Rarity's blue aura. Rachel then comes out of the restroom and walked back to the table with Spike. Seeing her hand reaching for the containment coffee!

The princess grabs a random waitress who was just walked in by surprise. "Excuse me, but do you see that couple over there?" She asked rapidly, pointing at the couple. "That girl needs a new cup of coffee, can you go give it to her, now?"

The waitress looked at the princess and the two back and forth before sighing. "I'm not their server, sorry."

"Please!" Twilight shouted, not meaning to use her royal canterlot voice. It caused everyone to turn their heads towards the kitchen area. Luna, eat your heart out.

The mare quickly did what she was told, grabbing a fresh cup of coffee and raced over to Rachel and Spike. Lucky enough, the girl didn't take a sip of her mug yet.

"Here, this one's-" The waitress ended up slipping on a wet spot on the floor and the hot coffee flung out of her hand and went to spill on Rachel.

Spike lunged forward and instead of the coffee landing on Rachel and severally injuring her, the hot liquid splashed over his chest. Lucky for him, he was pretty good in resisting the hot spill so it didn't hurt him at all.

"Oh my god!" Rachel gasped, she jumped up in surprised. "Spike!" The other customers jumped and turned to the commotion.

Rarity stood where she was at with a frightened gasped, Twilight came through the kitchen door and rushed towards them. BSPM - Big Sister Panic Mode activate. Rarity quickly made a run out the door.

"Are you guys alright?!" Twilight asked alarmly, checking to see if Spike was hurt at all or Rachel for that manner.

The waitress looked to Spike. "I am so so sorry." She quickly apologized as she stood up. "Clumsy fool I am."

"It's okay." Spike said in response to everyone. "Accidents happen, no fault here." He said, patting the wet spot on his chest. It doesn't really bother him, he surfed lava pits with other dragons, he can handle spilt coffee. "Dragons are highly resistant to extreme heats, this is nothing." He assured everyone, especially Rachel who looked frightened at the moment, scared for him if he was actually harmed.

It actually touched him.

"You sure?" Twilight asked before using her magic to start checking on him to see if he was truly okay. By there, meaning that she lifts his arms hold him close for inspection, looking for any wound he might gain.

"Twilight, I'm good! Put me down!" Spike snapped at her as he was lifted in the air and was magically examined.

"Just give me a sec to…" She trails off as she continues to inspect him.

Spike couldn't move at this point as she did this, in front of everypony. Embarrassing him in front of Rachel. He knows Twilight means well… But she knows that he doesn't get hurt by this, it was proven many times in the past. For a smart alicorn, Twilight isn't exactly a sharp tool when it comes to his wellbeing.

Especially right out in the middle of the freaking diner!

And boy it was annoying the crap out of him, hearing the snickers and comments others are saying about Twilight's search. Embarrassing him in front of his date. His clothes started smoking.

"Twilight, sweetie, please put him down, now." Rachel quickly tells Twilight, warning her.

"I'm just seeing if-"

In a sudden quick burst of anger, Spike opened his snout and blew a heavy stream of fire at the princess. Reduced to a golden pile of ash that was then carried off magically away out of the open door.

The pink aura disappeared and Spike plopped heavy on his bottom. He rubbed the back of his head when he looked up and saw the looks and frightening expressions on everypony.

"She's fine...everypony…" Spike said nervously.

Already, this looks bad to those who don't know him on a personal level…

"Why me…?" Spike grumbles as he and Rachel quickly left the diner. Even after explaining truthfully to everyone that Twilight was actually fine, he could freaking cut the tension with the tip of his tail.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright." Rachel assured him, rubbing his back. "I'd get pissed off too if I had someone did that to me."

"But you can't breathe fire." He grumbles.

"No, but I probably snap at them." At least she's trying to make him feel better.

"Like I don't already have others looking at me like I'm some type of monster. I snapped and look what it got me. I'm lucky that I don't have the police after my tail as we speak." He rubs his snout with his hand as they walked.

"You think just because you're a dragon means that you're this big monster?" Rachel asked, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"You saw how they were looking at me." Spike sighed, shaking his head. "I can already see how this day is going to turn o-" Suddenly, he was caught off guard by Rachel flicking him on the nose. He looked at her with wide eyes.

"I will not have any negativity talk coming out of your snout." Rachel said. "You say these things and it'll happen. Say things positive and it'll be a good day."

"Why did you flick me?" He asked, rubbing his nose, It felt weird, really, really weird.

"Ruby does that to me all the time when I feel bad about something. She tells me what I told you all the time." Rachel shrugged.

"So you just happen to pick that up from her?"

"Did it work on you?"

Spike chuckled then. "You're so random, you know that?"

"Yus, yes I am." Rachel giggled cutely as she grabbed his arm. "Now, let's go check out the games. I'm in the mood for some fun."

"Ask and you shall receive." Spike grinned before leading the way.

Barely past ten in the morning but the amusement park was packed full of tourists, Checking out the rides and playing the games. Though word has now spread of Spike's anger episode so everypony around them was at high alert. this time, all Spike could do was blame himself. Some even steer clear from him as they walked by.

Though it hurt, Spike tried his best to push those bad remarks about him behind and focus his attention on Rachel.

"Any games you think are interesting?" Spike asked as they walked.

"A few," Rachel replied, scanning the park. "A few rides and attractions." She looked about at the booths and her eyes lit up like Hearth's Warming lights. "Oh my gosh!" Rachel squealed, taking off towards one of those ring toss bottle games. Spike follows and sees what she was eyeing at. It was a blue alicorn plushie with half of its face a skull like, orange messy mane. It looked obscene and kinda freaky.

But to Rach from what Spike saw of her, she was looking at a puppy and wanted to adopt it and take it home.

"I want that one!" She pointed at it.

Spike cocks his head to the side as he stared at doll. Next to it were other strange malform dolls. One was another alicorn but a much brighter blue, spiky purple mane, and an orange beak than a normal muzzle and the other was a violet pegasus with bat wings, actual claws on the hooves and fangs. To any other tourist, they may comment on how these dolls looked like rejects from the plushie line.

Even Spike thought about that but the way Rachel was freaking out like a little kid - which is actually adorible and somewhat surprising.

"Only three bits my good sir!" Spike's wings drooped the moment he recognized that carny voice. Approaching towards them was one of the Flimflam twins.

Great, now he has to deal with this asshole.

"Well hello there young lady," Flam, Spike thought, says, "do you think you got what it takes to win these one of a kind prizes?"

Spike straightened up and glared at him. Looking at the bottles, most of them had wide necks and the rings were small. Almost impossible for the rings to even fit. A rigged game "What are you guys doing here?" Spike then asked.

"Working vacation, gotta pay the bills to head back to Las Pegasus." Flam chuckled. "Just a bit of fun." He looks at Rachel. "So little lady, you want to give it a whirl?"

"Rachel, him and his brother are con artists," Spike then warned. "Don't trust anything what comes out of their mouth. Let's go to another booth." Spike quickly said.

"Now now, Spike, my boy, take the load off." Flam chuckled, tilting his hat back. "The young lady here wants to try her hand."

"I really, really do." Rachel said, staring at the strange toys with a wide smile.

"Then step right up, don't be shy," now Flim shows up behind them, walking around with a grin. "Grab a ring and shoot to the sky. It's easy-"

"Peasy," Flam chimed in to as the brothers came together, link arm to arm.

"Lemon squeezy!" The duo shouted. Almost like a musical number.

 _If they start singing, I'm torching their hats_ , Spike grumbling thought.

"Just let me try." Rachel giggled as she dug into her pockets and pulled out three bits and put it on the bar top.

Spike held his tongue as the twin carnies gave Rachel three rings and step aside for her to take a shot.

Stalking just a couple of feet away from Spike and Rachel, Rarity stood between two other booths. She grinned when she saw the games. "Nopony likes losing, may have her act out a bit." Rarity planned.

Most ponies never win at these types of games. This human can't possib-

The first ring, on a whim in the far corner, it slid just right down the neck of the bottle.

"What?!" She yelped. Rarity then hide before Spike turned to see who was yelling. He narrowed his eyes before turning back to Rachel.

"All you have to do is find the right bottle, logic." Rach grinned. She threw the second ring, tossing it on the left up front, it slid down as well.

"Nice shot." Spike smiled, watching her.

The carny ponies looked at each other, both surprised how Rachel was able to figure out the system.

Even Rarity was surprised by Rachel's aim. This wasn't good.

When Rachel threw the third ring over in the center, Rarity quickly got to work. With a flicker of light aura, it quickly engulfs two of the bottles and make a switch and the ring bounced off and landed in the ground.

"Crap." Rachel sighed, shaking her head. "Thought I had it."

"Oh, what bad luck." The carny twins chuckled as they reached for the money.

Spike then grabs the money before they could get it. "Hold up." Spike said.

"Now now, Spike," Flim said.

"She lost fair and square." Flam said. "Those are the rules."

"What's fair when you don't give others a fair try." Spike grunted.

"What do you mean my scaley friend?" Flim asked him.

"The rings are too little to even fit the bottles, I saw it." Spike said, though he could've sworn he saw magic being used. Could've been sunlight shining through the bottles.

"Spike, it's okay." Rachel said. "Games are mostly made to be rigged."

"Sorry Rachel, but I don't really do well with cheaters." Spike said. "A pet peeve of mine."

"Our pet peeve are sore losers holding up the line." The carny twins said in unison.

The couple both made almost the same annoyed look on their faces.

Spike glared at the twins. "Rachel, you still want that prize?" He asked.

"I want all of them now." Rachel said, pointing at the dolls.

Meanwhile, Starlight was walking down the street when she saw the tension coming from the Flimflam booth. Then noticing Rarity. With a grunt, she teleported behind Rarity.

"What are you doing?" She whispered to her. Her hand placed firmly on her hip and her eyes narrowed to a glare.

Rarity yelps and turns around and faced her. "It's rude to sneak up on ponies, Starlight Glimmer."

"What's _rude_ is what you're doing." Starlight hissed. "Stalking Rachel and Spike? Trying to ruin their date? What's wrong with you?"

Mirroring Starlight's posed, Rarity scuffed. "You girls are doing the same thing."

"What we're doing is trying to help Spike-"

"That's what I'm doing: helping Spike by getting him away from that barbaric creature!"

"You need to stop or else you're going to make things worse between you and Spike." Starlight warned. "It's like walking around eggshells when it comes to you two since the first day. Spike is enjoying himself with Rachel, leave them alone."

"Then what are you doing here?" Rarity said, coming close to a snarl.

"I'm trying to help them make this date as best as they can be!" Starlight snapped.

"You know we can hear you two, right?" One of the Flim Flam twins called out to them.

Starlight and Rarity turned around to find all four of them staring at them. Spike annoyed more than anything else.

Starlight gave him a nervous wave. "Hey, bud, just walking around with Rarity. Right?" She glared at the unicorn next to her.

"Yes...just enjoying the summer sun." Rarity said with a smile that was filled with venom.

"Then why are you wearing a hot furry trench coat in the middle of summer?" Rachel asked. "Aren't you sweating in that get up?"

"Nothing for you to concern, darling." Rarity gritted her teeth.

Sublty, to where it could be seen by the two unicorns, Spike waved them off with his tail, telling them to scram or he gets sparky at them.

Starlight nodded before grabbing Rarity's hand and held her close. "What are you-"

"Enjoy your date." Starlight tells Spike and Rachel before she and Rarity teleported away.

"Well," Flam starts, tilting his hat back.

"That was weird." Flim ended.

The two turned back to Spike, their shit-eating grins returned. "So, where were we." They said in union.

Rachel sighed and wrapped her arm around Spike's. "Let's go. This game sucks anyway."

"You sure?" Spike asked her then.

She nodded. "Yeah, we got other things to do today." She says.

Spike looked at the twins one more time before the couple walked away.

Though, as they gotten farther from the booth, Spike couldn't help but think about how Rachel wanted that doll. As silly it was to think of it, he wanted to make her happy. Just another part of Spike, his need to make everyone satisfied. Just wanting to make sure Rachel was having a good time.

And that means winning her those toys.

Spike looked at Rachel as they came to a water squirter booth. "Hey, I gotta go to the restroom, wait for me here?" Spike asked.

"Oh no problem." Rachel said in response. She reached up and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Don't get lost."

Spike blushed and smiled. "I won't." He said before taking off, disappearing from the crowd.

Rachel watched him go and went go play one of the nearby games while waiting for him to come back.

After a while, Rachel was ordering her a soda when this large shadow drapes over her, nearly scaring the server pony. She turns around and gasped loudly.

"I got them." Spike said with a grin ear to ear. In his arm were the plushies from the FlimFlam booth.

Rachel squealed, leaving her drink on the counter and grabbed the weird looking dolls from him and hugged them. "Oh my God, these are amazing!" She says loudly, jumping around like a child and cuddling her prizes. "I love them, I love them, I love them!"

Spike watched her freak out on something like this. No doubt other tourists and workers in the park were looking at her. A grown woman jumping around in joy about her new dolls. Rachel then turned to Spike, stood on her toes and planted a huge kiss his cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Wow, you really like those dolls." Spike said, chuckling from the kiss. He used up all his bits he had for the cruise playing that stupid rigged game. Spike was about to burn that booth when he finally won the dolls.

"I happen to have a small collection of strange looking plushies back home." Rachel admits with a giggle. She stuffs the dolls under her one of her armpits and takes her phone out of her pockets. Managing to find her pictures, her finger swiping the screen before turning it around and showing him the pic.

From the looks of things, the pic was in a bedroom, three shelves hanging on a wall. And on those shelves were ten plushies aline on those three shelves.

All ten were them were strange looking, a couple were creepy as hell.

"Now with these three, my collection is complete." She giggled. "My little thirteen."

"Good to know." He said. Spike stepping away, not because of Rachel and her doll collection. He has a collection of Power Ponies comic book collection in alphabetical order and in display and decorated his room in everything related to Ogres and Oubliettes (Spike freaking has an actual replica of his Garbunkle The Wizard costume he wears on Nightmare Night!) back at the tree castle. One of the dolls in that little contraption she has at hand, he swore to Celestia that one of their heads turned and was looking right into his soul.

Rachel giggled before sighing, looking up at him. "Thank you Spike." She said tenderly. "I...I actually got you something too."

Spike's eyes widened at that. "What?"

"Yeah, I did." Rachel said, digging into her pockets again, putting her phone away. "Though it's not as extravagant as these dolls, but I won this for you."

 _Rachel gotten something for me?_ Spike thought as he watched her. It took a minute before she pulled it out. It was a necklace.

The clasp was metal and the long string was braided and from what Spike could tell after being at Rarity's side for so long, he could tell that the fabric of the string was super durable and doesn't break easy. The pendent was made out a real dark amethyst, chipped and chiseled to form a shape of a heart. All hand crafted. The color of it was the same as Spike's scales.

"When I saw it being used as a prize over there," she points at the booth where she got it from, it was a matching game and had other different gem necklaces. "I thought it reminded me of I won it for you."

"Rach," Spike said, walking up to her. He looked at the necklace and smiled. "I love it." and Spike meant every word. He gently takes it from Rachel. He undid the clasp and puts the necklace around his neck. Though granted it was a struggle to get it around one of the spikes on his neck but when Spike finally managed to get it on, the pendant hung loosely, draping below his collarbone. Surprisingly, it fits perfectly.

This was one gem he won't be feasting, not by a long shot.

 _ **Up in the clouds…**_

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were kneeling on a cloud, Dash held binoculars up against her face and peer down below.

"Okay, that's both sappy and cute at the same time." Rainbow chuckled as she just watched Spike and Rachel interact with the carny prizes each other won.

"I still don't think this is a good idea, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said, her arms folded across her chest. "Why can't we just leave if they are having a good time by themselves?"

"Because, there are going to be moments when it's going to get awkward." Dash replied, still peering down at the couple. "We cannot allow any way shape or form of this date turning to a big waste of time."

"Like we're doing?"

Dash glanced from over her shoulder to look at her childhood friend. "No one likes a sassy pants."

Fluttershy's cheeks grew to a rosy glow as she smirked at Dash. "Soarin likes it when I get sassy." She says, talking about her boyfriend.

Rainbow Dash grumbled something harshly under her breath before turning back to Spike and Rachel. She sees the two walking off. "okay, they're leaving, let's go." She said before taking off. "Hurry up, Fluttershy, we can't lose them."

The buttercup mare sighed before following Rainbow Dash.

The pegasi traveled across the skies, keeping a close eye at Spike and Rachel as they went for a walk. Keeping their distance but also keeping close enough to when something is afoot, they would swoop in and save this date.

After a few minutes of walking, they followed the couple as they came to the ferris wheel.

"Why would anypony pick the wheel? It's not fun, slow, all it does is go in circle. No rush of adrenaline." Rainbow grunted. "A sure way for a date to get boring real quick."

"Dash, let's just leave them, please." Fluttershy begged Rainbow as they landed on the roof of a donut shack. "The wheel is meant to be somewhat romantic. Which is what a date is supposed to be: Romantic and a chance to bond." She knew what she's talking about.

"So, it's okay if these two don't have an awesome time?" Rainbow asked with a raised brow. "Let's just have them fall asleep from the boring ride."

The girls looked at each other before turning back to the couple at question.

"You sure you want to ride on this?" Spike asked Rachel as they came closer to the wheel.

"I do." Rachel sad, holding his hand and holding her dolls with the other. "It'll give me a chance to sit and rest my feet for a second from all this walking."

"Rach, if you were to ask I'd let you on my back and I'll carry you." Spike grinned.

"That is very, very tempting." Rachel giggled, looking like she wouldn't mind at all taking that offer.

As they came up and handed the operator the tickets, she looks at them with a weird look. "Um…"

"Is something wrong?" Rachel asked her.

The operator shook her head. "No, sorry. I just...never see this pairing before."

"And?" Spike raised a brow.

The pony looked at the two, as if she's trying to place them before quickly realizing they were holding the line up. "Okay, you two, go in." She moved out of the way and let Spike and Rachel in the car.

Taking a seat on the bench the metal groan slightly under Spike's weight. "Um, you really sure about this?" He then asked Rachel with a hint of nervousness in his voice. Like he needs to have a fear of them plummeting off of the wheel right now.

Rachel nodded, putting the dolls on the floor and wrapped her arm around Spike's. Leaning against him. "If we fall you can catch me." She points at his wings with her free hand.

"Oh," Spike mutters, looking at his wings, forgetting he had them for a moment there.

The wheel then gave a hard jerk before starting up and the two were going up.

"And they're off." Rainbow drawled, watching the wheel go around and around. Just by the look of her, she was about to go asleep just by watching it. "How long does this ride lasts?"

"Up to ten minutes at least." Fluttershy replied. Rainbow Dash groans. Fluttershy then takes the binoculars from her friend and looked into it. "Aw, they look cute. They're listening to music now and leaning against one another." She then hands them back to her. "We can go now."

"We got work to do!" Rainbow said. "Rides are meant to be fast, not slow!"

"My my aren't you impatient." Flutters said. "Are you _too cool_ to let them enjoy this moment?" She smirked.

Rainbow Dash glared at her before turning to the ride. It spun slowly around and around for a few moments before it suddenly stopped. The girls see Spike and Rachel at the very top of the ferris wheel.

"Oh crud." Rainbow Dash said, looking at the scene.

The operator was messing with control panel and it sparked up. Grabbing a bullhorn, she sighed. "Everyone on the wheel, we are experiencing some difficulties. If you can may all of you calmly exit out of the cars. If you can't just sit back and relax, we'll get the wheel going soon."

Spike then looked to Rachel. "You wanna get off?" He asked her as he took one of her ear plugs out of his ear.

"I'm cool sitting up here." Rachel shrugs.

"We might be up here for a while."

"I don't mind." she smiled then. "As long as I got you for company, I don't mind the wait."

Spike's heart fluttered softly as he smiled down at her and relaxed and sat back. Rachel handed him the ear bud back and they went back to listening to some more _Skullen Fang_.

There are just moments when you're with somebody you care about that silence is just the right response and enjoy one another's company. There are those who think this is boring, it's really not.

Glancing down at Rachel, Spike coughed a bit. Taking this moment to admire her. She is very beautiful, the way she smiles as she just leaned against his arm. The look of happyness on her face was genuine, actually enjoying being this close to him. One of his hands reached up and fingers began fumbling about the heart pendant. The way the sun hit it casted a shine on it.

With a fake yawn, Spike then stretches his arm out and draped one of them over her shoulders and Rachel leaned her head on his chest. His tail wrapped around her waist and rested on her lap.

"That move was so cheesy I can actually smell it." Rachel giggled, glancing up at him, meeting the dragon's grin.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Spike chuckled, planting a kiss on top of her head, taking in her scent a bit. "Speaking of smell, can I ask you something?" Spike asked her then.

"Ask away." She replied.

"What do you use to make yourself so smell nice?" He asked. "Ever since the first day, you just have this smell that's been driving me bonkers, what kind of perfume you use?"

Rachel starts giggling. "You are not the first creature asking me that." She said. "I don't wear perfume, Spike. I'm allergic to the chemicals they use to make them and in cologne. Small doses are fine, but heavy concentration sends me into hives and my throat closes up. And garlic. See?" She digs into her back pocket and pulls out an empi pen case.

And suddenly Spike's allergy of the Dragon Sneeze Tree was reduced to nothing more than allergic to dust bunnies. Now if he ever cooks for her, he'll remember to remove everything garlic base and not wear any cologne for that manner.

"So you're telling me that your scent is… natural?" He asked.

She nodded. "Other than the usual plain minty bar soap, my scent has always been sweet. One time a Yak from Yakyakistan came to my work place, storms in 'cause apparently my scent could be smelled from outside, takes one good look at me and - I shit you not - says 'Tiny human smell nice, You be wife now!'."

Spike snickered but also a sense of protection came over him. If any creature find her scent pleasant, he'll have to fight them off. "What did you say then?"

"That day I had a bad attitude for some reason, so I was being a smartass and said, 'Tiny human no marry yak. Yak must take human dinner and see movie first, pay for all.' Lucky it was a slow day and no other pony but my boss and a bouncer and myself were in that bar when that yak tore up the place to hell. Needless to say I went three months without a paycheck. Had to live off of tips for a while."

Spike let out a laugh. "You sure got some balls on you for saying that!" He laughs, shaking his head.

Rachel giggles. "Yeah, I've been told that a few times too. I guess some scents attract to a few individuals." She playfully nudged him in the side before she began tucking the empi case away.

"C-can you teach me how to use that?" Spike then asked, pointing at the case. "If you need to use it I mean."

Rachel looked at him in silence for a moment before she tendly smiled. Like no one else but the twins asked her how to use it. "Yeah." She takes the case out and opens it up, there were three pens inside. She demonstrated on how to use it if she was ever in shock and can't menistor it herself. Told Spike what to do and where it could be placed. Spike paid very close attention her instructions, not letting her words fall on deaf ears on something that could literally mean life or death.

Over where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy was, Rainbow was really impatient. "Sweet Celestia, Spike has wings, he can just pick Rachel up and carry her off."

"You need to calm down." Fluttershy said calmly. "They're just fine."

"I'm gonna help them out. It's our job." Then the cyan mare takes off to the clouds, taking a big chunk off and dragging it over to the wheel.

"That's not good." Fluttershy whimpers before flying after her. "Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?!"

"The machine stopped. I'm gonna give it a jumpstart." Dash said as she gets in position.

"Rainbow Dash, you haven't been a weather pony in ten years! You need to stop now."

"Relax Flutters! I've done this a bunch of times. It's like riding a bike."

"Oh I can't watch!" Fluttershy yelps, covering her face with her hands.

Dash blew on her rainbow bangs, using her pegasi magic and jumped on the cloud.

Instead of a lightning bolt, she ended up making it rain, soaking those on the wheel and around it.

"The hell?" Spike alarmly said, quickly raising his wings up and held them over his and Rachel's heads.

"I thought it was supposed to be sunny?" Rachel asked confusedly.

Gritting her teeth, Dash jumps on the cloud again twice but instead of lightning, it stopped raining and began snowing. Quickly creating a layer of frost and had ponies and Rachel shiver in the strange weather phenomenon.

Or so they thought.

Spike looks up at the sky then and saw Dash and Fluttershy above them. He snarled deeply.

"Rainbow Dash, please stop!" Fluttershy shouted at her.

"I got it this time, don't worry." Dash said before jumping on the cloud thrice. She finally created a lightning bolt that hit the machine panel. It starts up again alright.

It ended up breaking the speed control and the wheel began rapidly spinning about. Spike held onto Rachel with all his might as the wheel kept on and on. Rachel and the other ponies were screaming in fright.

"OH SHIT!" The two pegasi in the sky both shouted. Rainbow shot down and went to the control panel with the operator, trying to fix it.

The operator tried to pull the emergency stop lever but it broke in half. That was when the cyan pegasus knew...

Rainbow Dash done fucked up.

Hearing the familiar sound of metal groaning under pressure, Spike gasped. He made sure Rachel was strapted in down tightly before he jumped off the car, wings flairs and took to the sky. Spike spun out of control for a moment, remembering that flight training Rainbow Dash had him gone through when he got his wings and managed to get back in control.

The ferris wheel needed to stop before the whole thing breaks and many lives were at stake.

Especially Rachel's.

Looking at the wheel, Spike looks for an opening. He'll have to stop it manually. When Spike found an opening, he shot straight at it. He then goes around the same speed as the wheel, Hands reaching for one of the main joints, the claws came out.

The dragon grabs hold of the main joint, his claws crushed the metal siding for a firmer grip. The wheel pulls him for a few more spins, hearing some faint snapping really had him worried. Not wanting to look at the cars and stay focus, Spike, with all of his draconic strength, pulls back on the joint as hard as he could with a loud roar.

The ferris wheel screeched as the force of the pull starts to slow it down. It went around a few more times before it slowed down to a stop. If it would've kept going, cars would've started flying or the wheel would might've taking off.

Rescue ponies came then on the scene and helped the trapped ponies off the ride. All of them were very dizzy and most of them doubled over puking. There were some medics out there to check of any of them were hurting or whatnot.

A very tired Spike draped over two joints, taking a heavy breather. He was strong but stopping an out of control ferris wheel filled with other creatures had him worn out. He panted softly, watching all the ponies below getting help. Rachel was on the ground finally, disordinated but was okay.

A very scratchy nervous laugh had Spike see red again. Rainbow Dash flew up slowly to his view.

"Nice moves there, slick." Dash said with a nervous chuckle. "Good job saving everypony. Looks like my training paid off, huh?"

"Five…." Spike snarled, pushing himself up. "Four…"

"What are you doing?" Dash asked, slowly backing away from him. "I-it was an accident, c'mon buddy!"

That should be a clear sign of get the hell away of the pissed off dragon. Endangering other ponies' lives, endangering his girl. Spike wasn't having it.

"Three…" The taste of sulphur and a green glow ignited from his snout.

"Dude, we can talk about-" before she could even finish, Spike shoots out a heavy burst of fire. Rainbow let out a scream before turning into golden ash and drifted off to Canterlot.

"S-s-s-s-s-spike?" This soft mouselike squeak trembled behind him. Spike whips around and snapped at whoever was behind him. Fluttershy screamed out of the fright and takes off flying while crying.

"Oh crap!" Spike quickly snapped out of his hostile form and takes off after pegasus. "I'm so sorry Fluttershy!" Now he feels bad.

* * *

 **Intermission!**


	5. Day Four: Part Two

**Okay, did everyone get their things? Popcorn, soda? Did everyone used the bathroom? Good!**

 **INTERMISSION OVER!**

 ***Sigh* Who let you into my computer, Pinkie!?**

* * *

After apologizing Fluttershy and quickly gotten her some ice cream - using some of her money because Spike was broke -, Spike quickly made his way back through the park. Ponies would stop by him and told him thanks and all that other praising for saving them from the wheel, he rushly pushed them back so he can find Rachel.

When he looked at the time on his phone, he realized that he was gone for a whole hour with Flutters calming her down!

When he went back to the now broken and condemned ferris wheel, Spike couldn't find Rachel. He got her scent but it was now infused with the fried foods and sweets, messing with his senses.

Digging his phone out of his jacket pocket, he dialed Rachel's number and called her up.

It didn't even finished ringing when she answered. " _Hey there, hero."_ Rachel giggled over the line.

Spike let out a breath of relief. "You okay?" he asked her.

" _Yeah, a little upset stomach from the ferris wheel. Talk about a malfunction_." Rachel replied.

'Yeah, a malfunction, let's keep it that way' _,_ Spike thought before saying, "where are you?"

" _The art gallery in town. I've been hijacked by my roomies and they kidnapped me. I need the Brave and Noble Spike to come rescue me."_

Spike's body tingled in a slight wave of pleasure when she called him that, his wings flapping in response.

"Oh my way." Spike said, hanging up before he raced towards the town as fast as he could. His feet kicking up dust and he ran.

It didn't take no time at all to make it across town. Finding the art gallery was easy as well, especially with Rachel standing outside of the door. He noticed that the plaid shirt was gone and she had on dark color tank top.

"Hey there." Rachel greeted him, coming up to him and gave him a hug.

Spike held on her and sighed. "I'm so glad you're alright." He said.

She rubbed his back for a bit and smiled. "I'm fine. I lost my breakfast and I'm still a bit dizzy but other than that, I'm peachy." Rachel said.

"Good," He said, pulling back and looked at her. "What happened your shirt?" Spike then asked.

"She found out that we used a tracker spell in some of her clothing and threw the shirt in the trash." Gem then answered before Rachel did, coming up to them with her twin and hands Rachel and Spike a bottle of water.

Rachel glared at the two. "That was my favorite too. Now I have to throw away all my clothes when I get back home."

"Oh stop it, you're being paranoid." Ruby said.

"No she isn't." Spike said, taking a much needed drink of the water. Not even Twilight does that to him and she's more paranoid than most ponies he knows. Even more than Pinkie Pie!

"Okay, girls, y'all can go now." Rachel said annoyingly.

"Not yet girly." Ruby said sternly. "We got something planned for the two of you. Inside."

"It's really, really cool. Well, for you, Rach." Gem giggled.

Rachel said nothing but wrapped her arm around Spike's arm.

Spike could feel the tension coming from Rachel when she glared at Gem. Having some sort of grudge of the purple unicorn using magic on her. Being the gentle-drake he is, he'll let these girls work it out. These were Rachel's friends, not his, off limits and no sending them away to the Sun Princess. Spike won't be poking that sleeping Ursula Major.

"Oh come on, I'm sorry for using magic on you." Gem sighed, shaking her head. "I apologized twice already now. Now please go inside and see what we have planned for you."

"I'm actually interested in what they have planned." Spike said, looking down at his date. "You just had a near death experience, what's the worse can happen?" He asked, resulting himself to rubbing his forehead with a groan and a glare from the sisters. _Too soon, Spike,_ he thought.

Rachel just chuckled and relaxed a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Spike noticed the glare the twins didn't falter. It was if the girls were studying him with a hint of anger in them.

He had no idea why they were looking at him like that. Spike hasn't done anything to them.

Or has he?

The girls looked at Spike before leading him and Rachel to the door inside of the art gallery.

Though the place was small, it was packed full of young artists and their amazing art displays. A nice little orchestra was playing near the center of the building with a pianist playing an elegant tune.

Even though Spike was not a big fan of art, he would be a lier if he would say that the displays wasn't amazing looking. So many interprets of music painted on these canvasus, sculpted in clay, composed in simple junk. Some of the pieces were a bit gorey and grotesque, lively and mystic, happy and joyful, strange and obscene. Spike would not mind having some of these hanging in his room.

 _Spike wah-_ Spike shook his head and removed himself from this painting he was about to grab. "Get a hold of yourself," Spike grumbled. Last thing he needs was to let his greed put him in trouble again. No thank you. Greedy Spike will not make a come back.

He turns around to see Rachel admiring this one painting. It looked like a swirling galaxy with colors of purples, yellows and blues. Next to her that was chatting with Rachel was a pink and orange hipster earth pony in her late teens.

"So you're saying you made this piece while listening to _Harth Angel's Track six?_ " Rachel asked the mare.

"You got that right." Hipster pony said with a nod. "Took me two weeks of nonstop to make this beauty."

"Hmm," Rachel said before studying the piece again. "I can see that, but I can also see a hint of _Tir Ver drog_ 's The Ones Who Dream. It depict galaxies and what you're trying to say."

Hipster pony raised a brow before looking back at her work. Her eyes widened. "I can totally like see it! Man you're good."

"That she is." Spike chuckled, chiming in as he stood next to Rachel, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He looked at the art and back at her. "Good eye."

"Thank you," Rachel nodded at the hipster pony before looking up at Spike and smirked. "And thank you."

"Rach, over here." Ruby then calls her out then. The two walked over to see what's up.

When Rachel and Spike went up to where the girls were, Rachel's eyes widened and gasped loudly, covering her mouth out of surprise.

The painting in front of them were of a forest, colors of the night splayed across the canvas. Stars above twinkling like diamonds in the night, a river of galaxies flown around a tree that looked like it could be comfy enough to sleep on. The paint strokes were smooth and the texture was well blended. It looked like a dream. _A Luna Dreamscape._

And at the very right bottom corner of the painting was a black feather resting on a stone. Spike recognized the feather, it was the same as the feathers as Rachel's back tattoo.

"When Rachel draws on paper, she signs her name," Ruby stated, "but when she paints, she adds a feather as her signature."

"Guys, you brought this from the apartment?" Rachel asked, her breathing heightening moving out of Spike's hold and approached her art work.

"This is one painting you did while painting with music." Gem grinned. "We pulled a bunch of strings of having your work here."

"Guys, I always paint while listening to music." Rachel said, though gawking that her art was in an actually in an art gallery and not on a small corner of a bar.

"Yeah, but this one is our favorite." Ruby smiled.

Spike chuckled, seeing Rachel actually speechless. He looked at her painting and smiled. It was very amazing. Quite beautiful indeed. He felt like he could just jump in and have a dream experience of a lifetime.

The twins then approached the dragon. "Can we talk." They said in unison. Their tones were serious and monotone.

Spike looked back at Rachel before the twins used their combined magic and pushed him away towards a direction away from her.

"What the~" Spike snapped before he was pulled to the side.

Rachel tried to stop them but Gem ended up using her magic on her and scooted her back to her painting

"She's gonna hurt you later, right?" Ruby looks at her. "I will not have sympathy for you when she kicks your face in."

Gem shrugged before both of them turned back to Spike after they took him to the back.

"What's your problem?" Spike asked them as the magic disperts. "Why did you just drag me away? And how can you two even lift me?"

"Ruby went to Celestia's school of advanced magic and sorcery and I just know a few bad ass spells that helps." Gem smiled at the third question.

"So we can talk about Rachel in private." Ruby replied, her arms crossed and a stern look on her face, answering questions one and two. Gem was the same but she couldn't hold that form for long.

Spike blinked. "Um, okay then. What's up?" Though Spike couldn't believe that Ruby went to celestia's magic school and yet she's a stripper, her and her sister both.

"You, that's who." Gem pointed at him.

Okay, what?

"We see how you look at Rachel, we've been with her for seven years, she's like our baby sister. So we're warning you, Spike, break her heart, we break your face." Ruby threatens.

Spike shook his head. "Girls, that is the last thing I want to do is hurt her. Why would you guys even suggest that I would even do that?"

"Because you're a guy and guys always tend to break hearts." Gem said.

Spike raised a brow. "Gender bias much?"

"Dude, the reason why we're warning you, because Rachel is… is." Ruby snapped her fingers, trying to think of a word before pointing at her twin. "Gem, lend me your Psychology Major brain of yours for a second."

"Rachel is a hopeless romantic who has a condition of pleasing guys whom she's attracted to." Gem said. Again, what? "The last fuck stick she was with before you took advantage of her condition, had her think that she needed him more than it should be!"

"And when Rachel needed him the most, he left." Ruby added. "Tore her up in more ways than one."

Spike snarled hearing that fact. How can anyone hurt someone like Rachel? Spike looked back towards Rachel and smiled softly, seeing her waving at him as she turned back to admiring her art.

Actually remembering that Spike is here with her and not brushed off to the side like Rarity did.

Spike looked back at the twins. "I assure you, I only have good intentions when it comes to Rachel. I really like her, a lot. So you girls have no reason to worry about me."

"We have to make sure. Rachel is special." Ruby said.

"That she is." Spike glances back at his date and sighs softly. "In more ways than one."

The twins nod in confirmation and stepped aside to let him go back to his date. Spike took a few steps before turning to the twins. "If you girls have all that knowledge and abilities, why are you stripping?" He asked, actually curious about that.

A psychology major and a Celestia's graduate, it doesn't make any sense.

The twins looked at each other before turning back to Spike and together they said, "We make more money dancing."

"We make a thousand a night depending on tips. If you do the math," Ruby said, "we make more than the government do in a year if we save it all."

"But we're shopaholics." Gem shrugged with a smirk. Ruby grunted, elbowing her side. "What? We really like shoes."

Spike chuckled, leaving that alone before making his way back to his date.

Then suddenly, Spike gets an itch. He hasn't felt this itch in a while. Not since he was a kid. An itch to play something. Turning to Rachel and her painting, something about it was missing...it was missing a song.

And Spike knew what song to play. Chuckling to himself, unbelieving this, Spike turned towards the tiny orchestra. It consisted of two violinists, a cellist, a guitarist, a sound synthesizers, tambourinist and a drummer. He met up with them just as they were on a break. "Hey guys, can I ask you to do me a small favor?" He asked them

"Whatcha want?" violin pony one asked.

Spike told them the situation and then requested them to play the song he had in mind for Rachel.

"We love to help you out sweetie," the cellist said, "but our pianist went for lunch and he won't be back for awhile."

Spike groaned, scratching the back of his neck before a light bulb lit in his head. "Can I play it then?"

The musicians looked at each other before looking back at the dragon.

"You play kid?" violin pony two asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, though it's been a while. It'll mean a lot to my girlfriend." Wow, that word send a shiver down his spine, calling Rachel that. "Our first date and all that."

The group talked to each other before the cellist looked to Spike and nodded. "Okay hon, though we don't usually do this but it is an emergency, we'll let you play."

Spike grinned before taking the piano. He looked at the keys and froze. Spike botched this up the last time he played. He didn't want to look like a fool to Rachel, not to her. But he knows this is important, he'll have to suck it up and play.

Popping his knuckles, Spike took his seat. Taking a huge breath, he start playing.

(the song Spike plays [embed] /_VONMkKkdf4[/embed] )

Spike started off slow, getting used to being back on a piano after so long of staying away. His memory coming back, getting familiar with the keys. Everyone in the gallery stopped and watched and listened to the music playing as it gradually gets faster and more complex.

The guitarist and synthesizer soon join in at the same time as it transcends into a more rapid beat. And slowly, one by one, the tiny little orchestra began playing the song with Spike at the lead.

If everyone would to look at the painting and listen to the song, they could see the piece coming to life, telling a story. A story if you can partake. Going to explore the deep depths of the dream realm, running among the stars, swimming the galaxy river, leaving all your real world problems behind and explore an adventure of a lifetime.

The level of concentration was shown on Spike's face, his eyes were closed. His fingers flying across the musical keys. Remembering what was like to play the piano, letting the music flow within him like the driven sea. Spike played with his heart and soul, him singing for everypony was different, playing the piano was what he truly loves. Spike would normally just play for himself and entertain guests and ponies at the Empire.

Today, Spike is playing for Rachel, this song is meant for her. Like the karaoke session, Spike was giving everything he's got on the song.

The song soon came to a close. The ponies let out an uproar of applause, clapping and calling out Spike. Saying things like it was amazing and all that.

Spike opened his eyes and and chuckled, sitting back in his seat.

"That was amazing!" Rachel shouts in joy, jumping on him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him. "Where did all that come from?"

Spike chuckles as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. "I'm a jack of all trades." He grinned. Spike was just surprised that he didn't screw up. He thought he was during the more faster parts of the song but he held on. Spike kept his head leveled and he just went for it.

The end result is all much sweeter to Spike as he hugged Rachel. The two then left in arms linked.

"You literally massacred everyone in there with your music." Rachel giggled as they walked. "You blew my mind." she said, motioning her head exploding with her hands.

"It was amazing, it's been nine years since I was took up the piano. I forgot what it felt like." Spike smiled. His heart was still racing after he done.

"You can sing, you can play - piano and basketball - what else can you do?" Rachel asked.

"I can dance a little, I cook when I can, I'm everything Twilight wants me to be around the castle. Whatever task she has, I'll do it." Spike smirked.

"You generally are the perfect assistant."

He shrugged and looked at her. "I don't know all about that." Rachel then stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Do you know who you remind me of? In this helpful strongness you have?"

Spike raised a brow. "Who?"

"Hum Drum from Power Ponies." She smiled. "Well, in issue #3564 when he gets a huge boost of power and became Brisingr."

Spike stops walking instantly, his eyes widened. "You read those comics?" He asked in a whisper.

Rachel grinned. "I've read all of them when I came to Equestria. The twins bought me the first edition when I was sixteen. I painted pictures of them in my room."

Narrowing his eyes, Spike thought of questions before asking. "In what issue explains Mane-iac's back story?"

"Issue 24." Rachel answered in a heartbeat.

"What are the true names of the power ponies?" Spike asked, not counting him and the Six when they got sucked in.

"Radiance is the lovely Teardrop Diamond, Saddle Rager is Dr. Stoneheart, Zapp is ex-wonderbolt captain Flair Blaze, Mistress Mare-velous is Orchard Rose, Fili-Second is Comet Cakes, Masked Matter-horn and Hum Drum is Midnight Moonlight and her apprentice Cyril."

"What went down in the battle of Maretropolis docks with the Power Ponies and Rafiki?"

"Rafiki stole the Staff of Dagamor from the city museum and plotted to unleash an army of demons from Tartarus to destroy the whole city, the group raced against the clock fighting their way through the massive swarm. Zapp and Fili-Second were stuck fighting a huge ice demon that managed to slow both of them down. Radiance was captured and Saddle Rager and Mistress Mare-velous have to go and save her. Masked Matter-horn fight Rafiki on that construction beam high above the city. The two fought bloody before Matter-horn ended up losing her horn and was pushed off into the water. Hum Drum steps in, the first time the little dude shows a major character development, takes the Staff and used it against the sorry SOB, having the demons attack Rafiki and dragged him and the demons back to Hell. Boom bam baby!"

Spike put his hands over his fluttering heart and staggers back. "Marry me, now!" he said exaggerating.

"Where's my ring then?" Rachel grinned.

Both shared a laugh.

"Aw, how adorable! She found her nerdy soul mate!" Gem's voice cuts through that cute moment. Rachel's face went for adorable to down right annoyed. Spike could see tiny little veins appear on her neck.

"Rachel?" Spike asked concerned.

"Oh shut up," Ruby told her twin as they approached them. One of them holding a plaided knapsack in their hand and held it up to their friend. "Here's your stuffed toys ba-"

Before Ruby finished talking, Rachel's foot made contact with Gem's face.

"OW!" Gem cried out, staggering back. Her hands covering her muzzle, eyes watering.

"I warned you not to use magic on me you slut!" Rachel snapped. "I hate it when you guys used it on me!"

"We just needed to talk to Spike!" Gem whined before pointing at Ruby. "She used magic on Spike!"

"Nuh-uh, bitch! Don't drag my butt into your mess." Ruby shook her head. "I told you I won't have any sympathy for you when she kicks your face in."

"I told you guys time and time again it pisses me off each time you use your magic on me. It feels freaky and I hate it!" Rachel ended up growling at the end.

Spike just stood there frozen. Just watching Rachel did this high kick all of the sudden and then lash out at that. Looking very intimidating towards her friends. It surprised the hell out of him that Rachel is...kinda violent, and a little bit on the nutty side to do this out at public.

What surprises Spike more was that his wings flared up, displaying interest to this development. If Spike could've guessed, Rachel reminded him of some of the dragons he met in the Dragon Lands with this type of nature...

"You didn't have to kick me in the face! That's my money maker!" Gem continues, rubbing more of her snout.

"No, it's your ass and boobs, you ninny." Rachel grunted, taking the knapsack from them and slinging it on. "I'm sorry but I did say I'll kick you guys if magic is used on me. I alway keep my promises on that. And Gem, you used magic on me twice, I don't care you guys added my art into the gallery, I will kick you." She blew her bangs out of her eyes before remembering Spike was there and her face turned red.

Spike was just chuckling, seeing the look on her face was funny. Remembering the noise he heard yesterday on the phone and now, actually seeing her reactions, it was very entertaining to him.

Ruby patted Rachel's shoulder and sighed. "I'll take Gem here and be on our way. Enjoy your date." Ruby said before grabbing her twin and walked off.

"All I'm going to say is that remind me not to get you pissed off." Spike chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm not usually like that, I-I-I'm n-"

Spike waves it off with a hand and chuckles more. "Rach, I'm used to Dragons acting out in public everytime we all get together for the annual migration. It surprised me yeah but comparing you to the dragons I've seen, you're harmless."

Rachel made a look. "Harmless? What does that suppose to mean?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"No no, I didn't mean anything by that!" Spike said quickly, shaking his head and waving his arms. "I swear, I'm not saying you're weak. You are! Not! I mean not!" the more he spoke, the more Rachel is getting angry. Spike seen this look before from Twilight and the other girls if he done or said something wrong.

Nine times out of ten, Spike always get hurt.

"You have a lot of~"

"HI GUYS!" Pinkie Pie pops out of a trash can next to them, confetti shot out and she was wearing a pair of spy goggles.

Rachel and Spike both jumped and screamed in response, moving away from the pink mare as fast as they could.

"Dammit Pinkie, stop popping up and scaring us like that!" Spike snapped at his friend, a hand to his chest, trying to control his erratic heartbeat. Rachel was leaning against him trying to control hers as well.

"W-where the fuck did you come from?!" Rachel gasped loudly.

"Everywhere." Pinkie giggled, jumping out of the trash. She took off her goggles and stuffs them in her mane. "Gosh you two are just the cutest! About to have your first fight, aww!" She shoves a huge cupcake at them with a number one candle on top and takes a picture of them.

Both of them were blinded from the sudden flash. The couple rubbed their eyes, trying see again, seeing nothing but black dots for a moment.

"Fighting? We weren't." Spike groans, blinking away the flash.

"That's going with the rest!"

"The rest of what?" Rachel asked, looking up at the big pink blob before her vision returned.

Pinkie dug into her mane and tail for a moment, "hmm, where did I put it?" Pinkie Pie asked herself. Things started falling out, from a toaster, Gummy her grown pet alligator that was six feet long - the other tourists screams and runs, Rachel let out a scream and jumps on Spike's arms - , party cannon, scissors, to her phone, sunglasses, books, telescope, royal confidential files, a bottle rocket, just everything out of the blue till she pulled out a black and purple photo album with blue lace with the title _S &R First Date_ written in green lettering.

She opens the book and shows them the photos she took.

Pinkie took a shit load of pictures from today. From the diner, the game booth, when they went to a haunted ride - both of them were clinging to each other in fright. Spike had spurted a small poof of fire that looked like it was flipping off a mechanical demon pony. She had when they were walking, some she actually took some selfies with them in the background. Even photos from the ferris wheel and art gallery.

Stalker much?!

"Ookay...that's not creepy at all." Rachel mutters as Spike sets her down.

Pinkie Pie hands them the book before cleaning up her mess, putting them in her mane and tail. Being a catchall.

After that, she slink in between them, wrapping her arms around their necks and brought them under her arms in a tight embrace.

"Oh I'm serious guys, you are just so cute!" Pinkie giggled loudly.

"That's good to know." Rachel gasps as she tried to get the mare to let up. She couldn't breathe!

"We like to breathe now!" Spike gasped as well, he tried to push Pinkie Pie up, she wouldn't let up!

For a pony who eats sweets all the time, Pinkie's wickedly strong!

"Whoops!" Pinkie giggles, letting them both go at the same time. Spike and Rachel gasped out for air. "Sorry, it's just that you two are so adorable together!"

"Pinkie, thank you but you can go now." Spike coughs, rubbing his neck as he tried to breathe again. Rachel was bent over, her hands bracing her knees and coughed haphazardly.

"But I just got here." Pinkie giggled. "We are going to have so much fun!" She squealed. "I mean it looks like you're having fun but I want to help and make it even more awesome. And besides it's your anniversary!"

Both Spike and Rachel gave Pinkie the exact same puzzled look. "Anniversary?"

"Pinkie, we just started da-"

"It's your 96th hour anniversary! That's four whole days since the first time you two met!" Pinkie pulls her party cannon out of nowhere and pulls the string. that annoyingly loud squeak boomed, party streamers, heart shaped balloons with the numbers 96 stamped on it, cupcakes and everything for a party shoots out.

"O-okay, Pinkie, you can stop that." Rachel quickly told the mare. Everyone was looking at the three, seeing the crazy things going on by the pink pony.

This kind of attention wasn't setting right by Rachel and it shows. She moved her hair out of her face and hugged herself. She was feeling uncomfortable, this was the wrong type of attention than what Rachel was use to.

Spike sees this and glared at Pinkie Pie as she was setting up a little party. "Pinkie, I appreciate what you're doing, but please stop it." Spike said.

Pinkie Pie twirled around and looked at the two. "What's wrong? You guys don't like the party?"

"Pinkie please, I know you're just trying, but you're doing more harm than good as of this moment." Spike said before turning to Rachel, seeing how she's doing. Trying to distance herself from the specktators, growing quiet.

Spike didn't like this.

Pinkie cocks her head to the side. "Oh, I'm sorry. Well, what would you guys want to do for fun?"

"We don't know, we're gonna figure it out." Rachel replied.

"Hmm…" Pinkie thought before snapping her fingers. "Ooh! We can go get our face painted?" Pinkie grinned, pulling the face painting pony to them. "We can go on many rides, eat yummy food~!" Pinkie kept rambling on about things all three of them could throughout the day.

Spike shook his head where he stood, watching Pinkie ramble on. The pony was random, never a dull moment around her. Even Rachel couldn't help but snicker, coming out a bit.

"Pinkie Pie," Spike chuckles. "I think it's just going to be just Rachel and I. It is our date."

"Oh...Oh right!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "Here I am intruding all of you. I'm just gonna go hang out with Twilight and Dashie and Princess Celestia."

"Um, how did you-" Spike was cut off abruptly by a hard and swift kick from Pinkie. Hitting him right at the center of his gut. Spike involuntarily burped a burst of fire that consumed Pinkie Pie and she was carried off to Canterlot.

Spike fell on his knees gasping and coughing, holding his gut.

"Spike?!" Rachel was quickly by his side.

 _ **At the Canterlot castle**_

"Hmm, I see your five snickerdoodles and raise you a slice of cake." Princess Celestia said to Twilight and Rainbow Dash. The three of them and a couple of guards gathered around Celestia's game room - which surprised Twilight because she never seen this room before - all taking a seat at a circular table.

And play poker with sweets.

All around, Celestia had a full house, Twilight and one of the guards had folded and watch, the guard remain had four Aces and a Jack. Rainbow Dash - who really looks like she gotten her ass beat from the moon and back (probably as punish for endangered other ponies with her stunt) had a bad hand but was still in the game, hoping she would bluff her way into winning the pot.

The three ponies waited in silence to see who would move first before another scroll appeared in front of the table.

"Another one bites the dust?" Twilight assumed, standing up to her seat.

Celestia used her magic and moves it away from her and gave the scroll to Twilight. "You open it." She said with a deadpan look. Not taking any chances.

Twice when she opened the letters from Spike, both girls crashed into her. Not this time.

Twilight made a shield and a baseball glove the size of the doorway to catch whoever it was in the scroll.

Dash and the guards ducked under the table and Celestia was at a distance away from them. Twilight opens it up..

It was empty.

"What the hay?" Dash stuck her head out from under the table.

"False alarm everyone." Twilight sighed in relief.

"Ooh!"

Celestia jumps as high as she could with a scream.

Pinkie Pie's head popped out of Celestia's flowing mane and giggled "Wow! It's very roomie in here!"

 _ ***Several hours later….***_

All of them were enjoying a spa moment when yet another scroll appears. Celestia just got up from her hot tub without a word, buttass naked and all, and runs out. She wasn't having it.

With everyone in their position, Twilight opens the scroll.

With a shout, AppleJack shoots out and lands on a makeshift pillow fort. "Well… that just happen!" Aj groans as her hat gently floats down on her face.

"What happened to you?" Twilight asked as the girls put on a robe and walked towards their friend.

"Spike and Rachel were having problems deciding what to eat so Ah talked to a chief and have them serve up some yummy stew and biscuits" AJ said.

"So Spike got mad and he blew you here?" Dash asked.

"He was grateful and they enjoyed the free meal." The cowmare responded.

"So what's happened?" Pinkie asked her in suspense.

"Rachel ate some bread...apparently, she be having a food allergy with the garlic. How was Ah supposed to know she's allergic. Or the fact they added a helluva lot of garlic in the biscuits." Aj sat up and put her hat back on. "What about you girls?"

"I um… embarressed him." Twilight blushed

"I may had a ferris wheel go out of control." Dash shrugged arrogantly, which in resulted in a harsh elbow to the side by Twilight..

"I volunteered." Pinkie giggled.

* * *

Sitting on a bench somewhere on the beach, night had took over the skies and the stars and mosquitoes came out to play. The sound of something buzzing caused Spike to wake up, swatting the bug with his hand. He gruntingly yawned.

That was a lovely nap, he haven't had a nap since he was a baby. He felt good…

Hold up?

When did Spike fall asleep?!

Spike looks down and let out a sigh of relief. Right where he left Rachel. After that health scare with AppleJack and the garlic bread incident - lucky she didn't have to go to the hospital and was able to menistor the shot herself when she was still able to - they came to this bench so Rachel could rest.. Spike let her use his legs as a pillow and was curled up on him with his hand resting on her shoulder.

That reaction was more scarier than the out of control ferris wheel. Though in AJ's defence, she didn't know that Rachel was allergic and Rachel didn't know the biscuits had garlic too.

Seeing her resting like that, the way she had her hair draped over her like a canopy as she slept. His jacket hung over her as a blanket. Her chest rises and falls heavily as she surfed around in her dreams. Spike couldn't help but smile. She looked cute asleep.

But Spike knew it wasn't going to last. His hand gently grabbing on her shoulder, he shook her. "Rachel, c'mon, it's time to get up."

"Five more minutes…" She said groggy in her sleep.

 _Gosh darn it she's adorable!_ Spike gushed with a thought and a chuckle as he gave her a slightly harder shake. "Come on now. We slept long enough." Though he doesn't mind having her stay there for a moment longer.

He gave her another shake. "C'mon Rach, it's time to get up."

Rachel grumbled softly before sitting up, her arms above her head as she stretched. "Ooh that was good." She grunted with a smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asks her. Given the circumstances prior to the nap.

"A lot better, all things considering." She responded, grabbing her thick locks and putting it all back up in a ponytail. "What happened to Applejack?"

Spike cascaded a look over his shoulder. "Um… She's...visiting Celestia…?" He looked back at Rachel and saw her smirk.

"You blew her to Canterlot, didn't you?"

Spike just gave her a sheepless smile as Rachel hands him his jacket back.

Rachel then reached over and patted his shoulder. "You're lucky you're cute."

"Cute is so downgrading. I very much consider myself sexy." Spike grinned, flirting with her a bit as he slipped the jacket back on.

"Eh, I've seen better." Rachel teased, sticking her tongue out at him..

"Hey!" Spike mockingly said, placing a hand over his heart. "You wound me so."

Rachel stands on her knees, reaching over and put a kiss on his chest. "Better, you big baby?"

They both laughed at that before Spike sighed. "Seriously though, are you alright?" He asked her.

Rachel nodded as she sat back down on her bottom. "Yeah. Sorry for having you scared like that."

"Rachel, you don't have to apologize for that." he said, placing a hand on her leg. "It wasn't your fault. Yes it did scare me, 'cause I was worried about you."

She smiled softly. "That's so sweet."

Spike's worried look didn't falter. He was truly scared, seeing Rachel turning that blue and couldn't breathe. She was able to give herself the shot before she could pass out.

"I'm okay. Seriously." Rachel said. "What's gotten into you?" She asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since the gallery, you've been acting strange. You won't let me pay for our snacks, you keep saying that I don't have to do certain things." She called him out. "You won't even let me win that Ogres and Oubliettes wizard staff for you."

"I was going to win it myself."

"You sneezed and torched the stand. The water pistol booth next to us made a game on who can douse the fire fast enough."

"I just don't want you to try so hard to impress me." Spike said. "You're already impressing enough as it is."

"So hard to impress you? What do you even meh-" She stopped with a look of realization came on her face. Rachel made a look at Spike. "Okay, what did those two fuck sticks tell you at the gallery?"

"N-nothing." Spike quickly told her, guessing she meant the twins. "We just talked nothing important that-"

"Did one of them mentioned that I'm a hopeless romantic with some sort of disorder that must please any guy that even remotely likes me?" Rachel bluntly asked with a cold stare.

Spike chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Somewhere in that...line of context."

Rachel face palmed, shaking her head. "Those girls make it like I'm desperate and been with a shit ton of guys." she groans. She ran her hand over her face and looked at Spike with an annoyed look. "I only went out with two other guys my entire life."

"One of them hurt you though…" Spike mumbled. He looked at Rachel and saw this look on her face that made him jump.

"How much do you know about that?" Rachel asked, keeping this look on her face. He felt intimidated by her. And he's a freaking dragon!

Spike stammers, trying to piece the right words, not wanting to insult Rachel in anyway that would cause her to leave him.

"Uh huh…" She sighed, leaning back on the bench.

Spike scratched along his nose before turning to her. "If you don't mind me asking...what happened with your ex?" He asked her carefully.

Rachel was quiet, her eyes staring at the water. Spike let out a groan, he done it. He felt like he struck a chord and now was in risk of ruining this date.

Spike felt ashamed even bring up something that was this personal.

But with a deep sigh, closing her eyes, Rachel spoke. Her arms folded across her chest. "I met my ex two years ago at work. He was a bus boy, new guy." She starts explaining, opening her eyes up. "Terrain was his name."

"Terrain? That sounds closely like a pony's name." Spike observed as she told the story. By the look of Rachel's body language and her facial expression, his eyes softened.

"I seriously didn't think I'd be attracted to a pony." She said. "I mean, I'm attracted to my male species, I still am. But I guess since living among different creatures, I started looking at them the way I look at men. Anyway, it started off as simple flirtation but it grew over a period of a month. After hooking up during closing one night, we started dating. the beginning was sweet, but after like three weeks, it all went in the crapper. He starts telling me that I'm one of the worst workers in our job. I was fat, showing me off to his friends like an object - a trophy. Making me feel worthless and only rely on him." she let out a deep sigh. "Our relationship was just physical, nothing emotional about it…"

Spike sat in his seat and listened. Each word that spewed from her lips makes him want to hunt Terrain and literally kick his ass to Tartarus and back. Emotional/mental abuse is just as damaging if not more than physical. Remembering the scars on her back, she went from one abusive relationship to another in a sense.

And by the deep, shuddering sigh, it was only getting worst. "Fast forward to seven month ago today, I was pulling a second shift at the bar to help pay the bills, I get a sharp pain in my stomach. the feeling of knives stabbing at my uterus. Knocked several bottles off the shelf to stay balanced. I thought I was going to die so a friend of mine takes me to the hospital. Next thing I knew I was waking up in the hospital room. The twins were in there. Both were crying, scared shitless. I never seen them so scared in my life. The doctor came in and…" She closed her eyes to stop herself from crying but tears escaped from her tear ducts. "They told me that I had a miscarriage…"

Spike sat up, his feet planted on the ground as if he was going get up. He was confused though.

Rachel's human, this Terrain was a pony. Two very different species. Spike might not have the brains of a certain smarty pants alicorn, but even he knew that it's literally impossible for these two to even create life…

To have a baby…

"It's extremely rare," Rachel said, as if she could read his confusing mind. "There's a study, like one out of twenty thousand of interspecies pregnancies. But it does happen, and since humans - the females at least - have special treatment, the baby would survive and be healthy. The docs told me I was at least a month an a half before he died…" She sniffed, she opened her eyes and wiped her tears away. "There wasn't a sign of the pregnancy. I was having odd periods but i'm used to having irregular sessions so I didn't think twice, no morning sicknesses. When Terrain came in...he was furious. saying I was a cheater, a whore. Not believing that the baby was his..." She starts laughing humorlessly. "The fucker actually brought his mistress in the room, trying to sell her as his _sister._ Croc of shit." She shook her head. "He leaves me. Packed up and left Filly with me sitting on that bed.

Spike reached over and wiped a rogue tear with his claw. One of things on his long line of lists to do was to find Terrain and probably kill him for hurting Rachel. And seeing her cry for even retelling her story hurt Spike so.

Rachel smiled softly by his move. "Thank you." her voice was soft, caressing the corners of Spike's rapidly healing heart that Rarity took a sledgehammer to it and smashed it to shit.

The way Spike was looking at her was not of judgment or downing her, but filled with compassion and the willingness to assure her that things are going to get better.

"You're a great girl, Rachel. That bastard had no right to even treat you like that way." Spike said. "You should be treated like a fucking queen."

Rachel chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"What? it's true! Rach, you are an awesome artist, a great social girl who literally don't take shit from others. You know just what to say to a being who was having a bad day and you make others feel better." Spike said as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close for a hug. "If I was him, I'd be there for you. Especially if the kid was mine. A great mom you'll be if the kid lived, I can tell."

"I would spoil the fuck out of him if he was born." Rachel chuckled with a sniff, thumbing her nose. "He'll have two hot crazy aunts that'll also spoil him to no extent. Sure he'd get picked on for looking different-"

"But it'll toughen him up when he grows up." Spike grins as he finished her sentence. He could see Rachel being a mom and be great at it.

Rachel smiles brightly now. "You're something else, you know that?"

"Every damn day." Spike said before leaning in and kissed her. Spike blushed softly but the kiss was needed. The dragon's heart was pounding by the time he pulled back, his thumb stroking Rachel's cheek.

"Thank you for listening." She said, wiping her eyes with her hands before smiling at the gentle dragon.

"Hey, you listened when I told you things, I figured it's my turn." He said, looking at Rachel. Though he wasn't in the mood for talking now. "Um.." He chuckled softly with a faint blush.

"What is it?"

"Is...is it bad that I want to kiss you again?"

Rachel blinked at that request before she gave him a smile that made Spike's heart skip a few beats. "Is it bad that I want another kiss too?" She asked. This time, Rachel moved. She slid onto his lap, her legs dangling off of the edge off of him sitting sideways. She wrapped one arm around his shoulder, her other hand framing Spike's face.

Spike shuddered softly when she moved up on him, his hand automatically placed on her waist and his other on her outer thigh. He stared into her eyes before he leaned in, his eyes closed and kissed her again.

The second kiss sent electricity through their veins. The feeling of her soft lips pressed against his had all of Spike's nerves all light up at once. Spike had been practicing kissing when he thought he actually had a shot with Rarity. Been using either a pillow, that damned plushie, a photo. Just anything he could think of to have him ready for this moment.

Spike even been reading romance books every time he goes to the Empire, reading Cadence's stash to get the idea on what to do. Not the sorry peck he gave her seconds ago or when she kissed him the other night.

This kiss, right here, in this moment, this wasn't like what he read up or even came to close what he thought it might be.

This kiss sent Spike's heart soaring.

The two continued the kiss when a sound of bushes rustling behind them caused Spike to stop just as he was getting comfortable.

The familiar musky aroma though caused him to growl deeply before he even heard the voices.

"Who the fuck let this monster out of his cell?"

Bouncer…

Spike immediately tensed up as he turned his head around. Sure enough, Bouncer and his lackeys were approaching them.

Rachel slid off of Spike's lap and both of them got off of the bench and faced them..

The three slinked towards them out of the darkness and into the low light casted by the moon. They had minor bandaging from the fight, though underneath the tight top Bouncer was wearing both of them could make out the bandage he received from Spike's tail slashing at him.

Every fiber in Spike's body was trying to restrain himself when he saw the three assholes coming up to them. He still haven't forgive them for what happened the other other day. Just seeing that smug looking bastard made him wanted to go over there and just beat the fucking crap out of him.

"Oh hey, Rachel," Bouncer noticed her with Spike. "I should've known it was you. Don't you realize you're hanging out with a monster?"

"I'll show you who's the-" Spike went to lung at him when Rachel put a hand on his arm. Though he could just move out of her grasp, she held him back.

"Easy, Spike." Rachel said. "He's not worth it."

Bouncer chuckles at her statement as he and his buddies lurk closer to them. "I'm not worth it? He almost killed us just for talking. If anyone who's not worth being around is this asswipe."

"That's because you threw lockers at me and sent me to that cell." Spike snarled, Rachel still had a hand on him. A reminder that if he screw up with his anger, he'd pretty much kiss this date and all the others goodbye.

"Spike's a monster," Bouncer continued, trying to turn Rachel against Spike. "Seriously, babe he's a freaking _dragon!_ Dragons can snap at anyone. He's a bomb ready to blow up if someone would say one word wrong."

Spike didn't like how the pony called her that. He knows dragons are territorial when it comes to mates - he doesn't even know if it's gonna be that serious to Rachel yet, but he was already like this - but on the first date? Sheesh what a mess!

"He can snap you like a twig, you itty bitty thing you." The skinny pony heckled. "Just one move and he'll break you in half!"

Spike grunted softly. That hasn't came to mind about that. The size difference. He's pretty much a giant compared to Rachel. The thought alone caused his ears to droop and his gaze softened as he turned to Rachel.

For who was still standing tall, a hand braced on Spike's arm and had this look in Rachel's eyes that was unreadable. She moved her hand and placed it on his chest as the guys kept talking.

Then she spoke.

"My, boys, you sure are jealous." Rachel then chuckled low.

"Jealous? Why would we be jealous of that? You saw how he is, Rach." Bouncer said, his attention now on her. That caused Spike to snarl softly. "Besides, I think the big guy can handle himself, he doesn't need his master to-"

"Oh grow the fuck up." Rachel's voice cuts through the air like butter. Spike looked at Rachel and saw this look on her face when Bouncer spoke.

Master, pet, Spike was used to being called a pet over the years since being raised by Twi, but it didn't sit well by Rachel…

Especially since she was once with a pony.

Spike didn't even think about the kind of heckling she had received from those who would look down at the couple - even though her ex was horrible.

Spike grabbed her hand from his chest and held it. "Let's go." He said.

Not the time, not the place to lose his cool. Though all of them were in the middle of the beach somewhere, it wasn't the time to get into a pity fight.

Even if the three deserve it so much ass kicking they'll be shot up to the moon.

The two went to leave when Bouncer grabbed Rachel by her arm.

"Hold up, we're not done yet." Bouncer snarled.

Spike's instincts lit up all at once, balling his fists, he goes to punch Bouncer off of her…

When Rachel beat him to the punch. Her fist made contact with the stallion's muzzle and her boot made a harsh contact on Bouncer's balls.

The males that were in the little area shouted, jumped and backed off, sympathy agony pain all of them were feeling as Bouncer cries out, falling to his knees, his hands bracing over his busted crotch. Bouncer coughed and whimpered, sputtering actual blood from his mouth and when he did that, a tooth came out.

"Didn't your fuckin' mother ever told you to keep your goddamn hands off of a lady?" Rachel snarled viciously at Bouncer.

Even though Spike didn't care for the bastard, that hurt him.

And - not even trying to lie - his wings sprung in display, turned on by Rachel's ferocity she was showing today.

Spike loved it!

Once again, not the time or the place to freaking have a wing boner!

Before he could let his wants get the best of him, he grabbed Rachel's hand again, grabbing her knapsack and both of them took off from the scene and let Bouncer and his guys be.

They both ran across the beach till they came to the boardwalk, both laughing. "Where the fuck did that came from? Spike asked her as they came to a stop. "That was awesome!"

Rachel giggled. "Living with Ruby and Gemcity, you are required to do the following," she held up four digits. "Don't sit on your ass all day and get lazy; Go to school or something to get your GED; Get a job to pay the bills - or work with them in the strip joint; learn how to handle yourself by taking some type self defence classes. The girls and I spar once a week."

"So Gem is used to you kicking her in the face?" Rachel's grin alone sent him in an uproar. "And Ruby?"

She made an X motion with her arms and made a buzzer noise. "Last time I even attacked that bitch, I was in a two day coma. Don't let that stripper fool you, she'll have your ass on the ground ten seconds flat. Besides, she's the mama in the clique."

Spike raised a brow. "Mama in the clique?" I repeated the phrase. "Why?"

" 'Cause she'll scold you and you'll feel like your mother is getting on to you and you actually listen." She explained.

Spike did thought Ruby had that motherly vibe to her.

As they took this moment to have a breather, there was a faint booming sound of music thumping through the boardwalk. Spike's foot began tapping against the beat. The sound of it flowing through his veins.

This need of dance consumed him and he needs to get his groove on.

And by the way Rachel was swaying, she was in the mood to dance too.

Which brings up another thing Spike wanted to ask her. "Do you want to go dancing?" Spike asked her.

"Nah, I don't feel like it." She replies but yet her hips keep swaying to the song. Under the street lights, Spike noticed something he hasn't before with Rachel.

Her ears were turning red.

Out of all of the times they talked all throughout the day, her ears not once were turning red. That can only mean one thing, she was lying.

Spike smirked. "You know you look cute when you lie."

Rachel grunted. "I am not lying. I just don't want to dance. I don't know how." the more she spoke, the more her ears burned.

Crossing his arms, he looked right at her and chuckled. "When we played basketball, you moved as if it was choreographed. Like a little ballerina out in the courtyard."

She puffed her cheeks. "Just because I took some classes from my mom doesn't mean I can dance well."

Spike shook his head before hovering over her. "I'm gonna be a pest until we goooo-ooh." He singsonged, poking at her puffed up cheeks. He keeps poking her and poking her before she slapped his hand away in defeat.

Happy to win that stubborn fight, he and Rachel followed the sound to the music.

The sound of the thumping music came from this nightclub called Electrolyte. Through the door, the couple had to descended a long flight of stairs to find this huge room. Strobe lights flashing haphazardly as the floor was consumed with dancing sweaty creatures of all types. All dancing to the beat of the music. There were those who were dancing like they were in a music video and there were those who were just flopping around like fish out of water. The energy was just out of control.

After paying this bouncer cash to enter and was given bracelets to wear to gain access if they were to leave, they came to the floor.

Spike turns to Rachel. "Are you alright?" Spike asked her loudly over the music.

"I'm not a good dancer." Rachel said. Even under the flashing lights and moving bodies, Spike could still see her ears burning red.

"I call bullshit on that." Spike grinned as one song ended and another one started. And by the way his tail was swishing, it was his favorite song.

If she keeps up with this obvious lie, Spike was going to have her dance. One way or another 'cause he knows she can dance.

Spike starts dancing around her, moving to the beat. The way he moved his body around Rachel, enticing her to do something, He knew she can dance, reason why she kept lying on that, but he was determined to have her join him.

Even if it means having a dance off with his potential girlfriend.

The other dancers slowly backed away from them, forming sort of a circle around the couple, giving them enough space to have the dragon move. And boy he was taking over the dance floor.

Though to be honest, Spike was holding back, he just wanted to have Rachel to join in. He saw her twitching softly, her feet shuffling in place and her lips curling into a smirk as he kept challenging her to move. If anyone who knows the gentle dragon is that once he has his mind set on something, it's damn near impossible for him to quit.

And by the way the others were going at of him dancing, it was sending an uproar to the others.

Just as it came to the second half of the song, Spike gotten his wish and Rachel started to move…

Move as in wiping him off the floor that is!

As it turned out, the reason why Rachel didn't want to dance because last time she danced with the twins, she gotten clumsy and ended up in the hospital and breaking a leg. She just needed the right encouragement and boy didn't she need it.

The club ignited with cheering delight that everyone started dancing as well.

* * *

Across the dancefloor at the bar area, Rarity downed a shot of something pink and jello-like before slamming it down on the bar top.

All day, all fucking day, after finally slipping past Starlight- she was in the bathroom when she made her escape - Rarity had done her best to split Rachel and Spike up.

But nothing fuckin' worked!

From managing to spill some juice on the ferris wheel consol - broken ride is always a bust in a date (of course she didn't know Rainbow Dash would cause it to go haywired like that), paying some kids to fill balloons with paint and having them threw it at them as they walked - that didn't worked and she ended up getting pelted herself (stupid brats), she gotten desperate and had a tiny stick of the Dragon sneeze tree waving near Spike - to show Rachel that he could be dangerous and leave him it didn't work! She even gotten into the kitchen where AJ had set up that lovely little dinner and over seasoned everything that they were going to eat! (How was she supposed to know that the little gnat of a human was allergic to garlic?! What was she a vampire?!)

Starlight, who also recruited Fluttershy, were on her ass the entire time, trying to stop Rarity. Each time they caught her, she managed to escape.

Which was pissing Starlight off and that isn't to be taken lightly.

Nothing she did worked...now she was drinking her sorrows away, and about six shots in of becoming shitfaced, already a little tipsy. Maybe having a pity fuck with some stranger later on tonight...

Sighing softly, she ordered another shot and turned around. Looking over at the dance scene...she caught a glimpse of green horns moving towards the back of the club.

Spike….

After drinking that one last shot, Rarity got up from the bar with a grunt and shadowed him, moving past a murage of moving bodies grinding against each other in the tight confinement. Rarity pushed and wiggled between dancers as she pursue the dragon.

She kept getting glimpses of him heading further and further into the club, disappearing through this corridor where there were less beings around, the music still could be heard but it was muffled by the walls encasing them.

"Where in Equestria is this dragon going?" Rarity asked herself quietly as she followed Spike.

When the white unicorn gotten a closer look and saw Rachel holding his hand. Both of them were heading out of the backdoor of the club, both stumbling and laughing.

"I-I can't believe that just happened!" Rachel laughed. "Did you see the look on that guy's face when you bump into him?"

"That look is forever imprinted in my brain." Spike cackles. "I didn't mean to step on his foot but he tried to punch me...I just simply stepped to the side and his face met the floor." He giggled before looking at Rachel as they got out of the club. The bouncer removed their bracelets before closing the door behind them.

"Sorry for getting us kicked out." Spike said then with a sigh. When others get one look at him and they automatically assumed that he tried to start a fight - as funny as it was, he ended up getting both of them kicked out.

Rachel waved it off. "Do you know how many times I got kicked out of clubs...or spent the night in a cell for not leaving the club because of the twins?"

That made him smiled.

As Rarity came to the backdoor, it was shut. She growled and tried to opened it but it was wouldn't budge. She starts hitting and banging on it. "Lemme out, lemme out!"

When she got mad, she starts ramming against the door, using her magic too to get it open. She rammed against the push knob, she was sent flying outside. Landing on the ground with an oof.

"Oh.." She groaned, sitting half of her body up and rubbing her muzzle. It was sore to the touch. Great, just great!

Her ears perked up when she began hearing sounds of moaning echoing in what appeared to be an alleyway. She shuddered as she gotten to her knees. If that's what she thinks the sound was she was disgusted.

There's a time and a place to have sexual action - on exception of prostitutes - and ponies doing it in this dark dirty alleyway was just… it was just wrong.

Though when she turned to sound, Rarity gasped loudly.

It was Spike and Rachel. Rachel was propped on some crates and boxes up to the dragon's height. He was leaning against her, his hands braced on her hips, Rachel had her arms over his shoulders. Her back pretty much up against the wall behind her. Their lips pressed hard against each other, fighting in the heated kiss.

When Rachel broke the kiss in needed of air, Spike moved the kiss along her jaw, his sharp teeth grazing across her soft skin. Kissing down to the crook of her neck, where her neck and shoulders meet.

And by the way her breath heightened, she was liking it a lot.

To be honest, Spike had no idea how they ended up going into this heated make out session. One moment they were talking and the next thing he knew, he was hit with this feeling that he needed to kiss her. To kiss Rachel as if his life depended on it. And to tell you the truth, it felt so damn good to him. Rachel didn't have any complaints about it, go figure.

Spike starts moving one of his hands up, slipping underneath Rachel's shirt, feeling her flat toned skin underneath his fingertips. He would've gone up further if he hadn't heard a disapproved cough.

The two turned to the source of that cough and noticed Rarity. Flushed face, hands upon her hips and a look of despair glaring at them.

"Well, this is a low place to do it, Spike. I expect more from you." Rarity said. "In a dirty, filthy alleyway no doubt. Did _that_ talked you into this act in a horrid location?"

A snarl escaped from Spike as he stepped away, allowing Rachel to hop down. "No one owes you an explanation, Rares," he said. He didn't like how Rarity called his date that. He then caught a strong whiff of alcohol coming from the fashionista and snorted.

"Go back to the ship." He tells her and turns back to Rachel. Both of them nodded before they began to leave.

That's when the shit hit the fan.

"What makes this cretian so special than me?!" Rarity called out.

Spike stopped walking right then. He slowly turns around and looked directly at the mare.

"Excuse me?" Spike asked, his voice dangerously low.

"You heard me." Rarity grunted. "I'm everything that human isn't. I'm beautiful, success-" she hiccuped before continuing. "Successful in every way! You should be with me!"

"You lost your chance, Rarity." Spike's voice risen. "I given you every chance to show you what I can do and what I can offer. You threw everything back at my face."

Rachel tugged on his arm. "Spike, she's not worth it." She said, glaring at Rarity, who was getting more pissed off by the second. "Let's go, please."

"Typical human, having to order others around when it comes to confrontation." Rarity huffed, seeing Rachel trying to diffuse the situation.

"Rarity, if you know what it's good for you, please, shut the fuck up." Rachel warned her. "Did you forget Spike's a dragon? there's been enough fireballs spitting out for the day."

The mare pointed a finger at her. "You don't get tell me what to do, you child murderer!"

Rachel gasped, letting go of Spike. She looked to Rarity with disbelief, in mixed of anger, sadness, her lips started to quiver. The area became eerie quiet. She looked up at the unicorn, her breathing came close to a stop.

Spike looked at Rarity with wide eyes. She just...she crossed over that line...

"W-what…?" Rachel asked the mare softly.

"Oh-ho, you think I wouldn't know?" Rarity grunted, moving her purple hair out of her bangs before turning to Spike. "Your date is responsible of the death of an innocent child. I heard her admit it to her whorish friends just the other day!"

The expression on Rachel's face, she looked like she was just slapped across the face or was stabbed in the chest. Her eyes darkened and her body started trembling.

"Would you honestly be with someone who could never handle a child?!"

"ENOUGH!" Spike roared, it was so loud it shattered any nearby glass around them. He looked to Rarity, nostrils flared and his teeth baring. Spike was tired of hearing Rarity talk about Rachel like that.

Rarity jumped by his monstrous sound and Rachel just takes off running, running past Spike and was quickly gone.

"Rachel, wait!" Spike made a reach for her but she was already gone. When she ran past him, he could hear a faint sound of a cry.

Rachel...crying….

Spike lowered his hand, balling it into a fist. He slowly turned to Rarity, his vision turned red. "Rarity…." He snarled her name.

Rarity grunted, crossing her arms. "Don't look at me like I'm some of monster. I'm not a murder as-"

One moment they were standing around and the next - and it happened so fast - Spike had pushed Rarity against the wall. Rarity let out a shout but was quickly silence. Spike's hands braced on either side of the mare's head and making sure she wouldn't slip past him.

Eyes of a predator Spike had, glaring down at his ex crush.

"After all these years, Rares, years I've tried so hard to get your affection, you wouldn't give me the slightest thought." He lowly said, breathing heavily. "When I turn my affection upon someone else who might possibly have the same feelings as me, you turn around and say shit that you don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"

"You don't know her, Spike. I'm trying to save yo-"

Spike slammed one of his fists on the wall, causing Rarity to yelp, cutting her sentence off.

"Rachel...is more than you could ever be." He snarled. Sending frightened chills down in every fiber in Rarity's body. He paused for a moment, hearing other voices coming from the club door. More would come soon. Spike'll have to cut this confrontation short for now.

He turns back to Rarity. "This isn't over," Spike warned before pulling away and taking off.

"RARITY!" Starlight's voice called out, teleporting her and Fluttershy down to her. She saw Spike taking off running and turned back to the paled mare. "What the actual fuck did you do now?!"

Rarity gasped softly, like she was holding her breath in, looking at Starlight and Fluttershy with widened eyes.

"Rarity, whatever you did, you went too far this time." Fluttershy scolded her. Angel Bunny as her backup, glaring at the white unicorn.

"You are about ten seconds away from me doing something drastic!" Starlight's horn sparked as she came up to Rarity. "You're not going anywhere this time." She hissed.

All Rarity did was stayed silence. Spike's words echoing in her mind...

After an hour or so, Spike finally managed to catch up to Rachel back at the cruise ship. It was late so no one was out on deck. All but the lone girl sitting on top of the bar, a bottle of booze at hand and taking a drink at it.

It was clear by how red and how puffy her eyes were, Rachel was crying, still was.

Spike cautiously approached her, he was still pissed off of what Rarity had said, but he pushed that back for now. He needs to tend to his girl. When Spike saw the bottle at hand, he frowned.

"Is that a good idea when you're upset?" He asked her.

"It's only my first bottle, and no it isn't." Rachel mutters softly. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand before setting it down on the bar. "Why would she say something like that?" She whimpered softly, looking up at Spike, who was now right in front of her. "Why? I'm not a child...I-I'm n-not…"

Spike wrapped his arms around Rachel, bringing her close for a hug. Rachel latched onto him, buried her face in his chest and sobbed loudly.

Spike just held her as she cried, patting her shoulders and hummed softly. He knew she needed to let it all out. Having something so painful be thrown back in her face was not good for anyone, Bringing back memories and feelings of what happened and all he could do was to let Rachel cry.

When her loud sobs gotten down to soft whimpering, Spike pulled away, placing his hands on either side of her face. His thumbs wiping her tears off her cheeks.

"It's gonna be okay," he tells her. It's a bit corny and cliche to tell a grieving being, but it's true. "Rarity had no right telling you that."

"I just want to know how she knew about that, or get it twisted to say that I deliberately killed my unborn kid." Rachel sniffed. Her eyes threatened to let loose the floodgates again. "I-I didn't know."

"Hey, hey," Spike hushed her, moving her bangs out of her eyes. "You don't have to defend yourself to me or Rarity. She's nothing, scratch that, she's worse than nothing."

"What's worse than nothing?"

Spike shrugged. "I don't know, but whatever it is, she's in it. I don't know what I ever saw in her."

Rachel chuckled softly, a hand placing on one of the dragon's wrists and sighed softly.

"I'm sorry what you had to go through. I'm sorry you had to relive through all that." He said with all honesty before he smiled softly. 'Now, let's clear those tears, shall we?" He asked. "Come on, lemme see a smile?"

Rachel then gave him a weak smile.

"You can do better than that." Spike plants a kiss on her forehead. "But I'll take it nonetheless."

Rachel chuckled, looking at him. "Funny, just the other day in this bar I made you feel better, now here you are, making me feel better."

"What comes around, goes around I suppose." Spike smiled. "I really like you Rachel." And he really does.

"I really like you too." Rachel said. She then chuckled softly. "Some first date we had, right?"

Spike snickered. "Yeah, no kidding, two life-or-death experiences, a burned out game booth, a fucked up dance club, anything else am I forgetting?"

"How about you saving my life, winning my dolls, just being next to you, talking, doing this...and bringing Bouncer to his knees."

"That was fucking awesome." Spike grinned.

"The twins didn't make me into a Cinderella." Rachel grinned back.

"Oddly enough," Spike said. "I understood that reference." They both shared a laugh, the mood between them lightened.

Spike was about to open his mouth and suggest that they call this date a night. They got tomorrow and the rest of the cruise to pick up.

But Rachel had other ideas.

She hopped off the bar and slipped away from Spike. "I don't know about you, but I feel like swimming."

Spike blinked. "Swimming?" He repeated the word as a question.

Rachel nodded as she went to pulled off her shoes and socks off, along with her knapsack and put them to the side near a lounge chair.

"B-but we aren't supposed to be in the pool this late at night." Spike told Rachel, pointing at the rule billiton board that stood near the pool that has all these rules, including the time when the pool is allowed to swim in.

"Oh don't be such a baby." Rachel said as she grabbed the fabric of her tank top and pulled it over her head.

Spike stiffened when it was revealed that she was wearing a black bikini top underneath all that clothing. Her breasts bounced slightly as the shirt was pulled off. She unbuttoned her pants and pulled them off too, stripped to a black bikini thong.

Her long toned legs kicked the pants off to the side and she turned to Spike with a grin. "Swimming and archery always makes me feel ten times better after a cry. Since I don't have my bow, swimming is what we're doing."

Oh fuck Celestia's holy ass...

She turned around, Spike gotten a better view of her wings tattoo on her whole back. Wearing this skimpy outfit, it gave the impression that the feathers were moving as much as she was.

Spike just stood there as she approached the pool, almost mesmerized by her ass moving from side to side.

Oh dear he was in trouble…

Rachel jumped into the pool a second later. In an instant, the pink that had colored her hair was washed off and disappeared by the chemicals in the pool. She resurfaced a moment later and looked to Spike and a chuckle.

"Come in Spike." Rachel called him out as she floated. The water was warm, just right against her skin.

Spike shook his head before his hands quickly stripped every cloth he had on - besides his underwear - as fast as he could. His body was on autopilot as he came to the pool and jumped in. Creating a large splash.

Rachel squealed and got swept by the wave, pushing her to the other side. "Woohoo!" she cheered loudly with a laugh.

Spike resurfaced with a chuckled, the water dripping from his scales. He saw Rachel and grinned at her, slipping back into the water. The tip of his two horns were the only things sticking out from the water.

"Oh no!" Rachel giggled, seeing Spike swimming towards her. When he came to her, he shot out of the air and slams into the water, creating a huge wave. Sending Rachel squealing and splashed him when the water calmed a bit.

The two played in the water like a couple of kids, splashing around the heated pool. Squealing and filled with laughter, playing underneath Luna's illuminary moon. Shining above them like a single bright spotlight, lighting only the two of them.

They played and splashed till they were left breathless and ended up on their backs drifting in the pool.

"Oh man that felt _soooo_ good!" Rachel giggled, staring at the stars.

"I'll say. I haven't played like that in…" Spike grunted in thought. "Gosh it's been awhile since I got to play as a kid...as me."

He reached over and held her hand as they drifted seamlessly.

She turned her head to look at him. "I had a good time, Spike." Rachel said softly. "Today, despite a few hiccups, has to be...the greatest first date I ever been on."

"Really?" Spike asked surprised, rolling in the water till he was floating upright. Where they were at, the pool was just barely having him touching the bottom of it with the tip of his toes. "Even after what we been through, the food scare, the ferris wheel, Rarity...you think this was the best?" For Spike's first date, the things that occurred almost destroyed everything.

Rachel nodded as she positioned upright, floating right beside him. "The first date I ever been with, he was human, we went to a little diner and returned home to watch TV and ended up falling asleep on the couch - and I mean falling asleep as in passing out. The second first date wasn't even considered a date as Terrain and I went straight to fucking." She smiled at him. "This totally tops both of them."

In a strange way, Spike felt a sense of pride in that statement. "So I did a good job?"

"So good, I wouldn't mind having a second date."

Spike took her hands and held them. He was about to say something when he looked down. The back of one of her hands had knicks all across her knuckles. He frowned and looked at her. "Did you punch something?"

Rachel looked at her hand and then snickered. "I think I gotten that from punching Bouncer. The pony's teeth must've cut me when I made contact and broke his tooth."

Spike grinned ear to ear. "Damn you are perfect."

"And I know it." she giggled before they shared a sweet kiss.

The two then retreated to the seating area of the pool. There were benches attached to the wall for the vacationers to sit back and relax.

Still holding her hand, Spike backed up to the bench and sat down, pulling Rachel to him to where her back was leaning against him. He placed a hand over her stomach and his head rested on her shoulder. The water came up to their laps as they sat there.

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. After a while, Spike's eyes drifted down to the feathers on her back. The tattoo splayed all over, seeing it tattered and worn out. The scars along her skin and the saying, "Tattered and Broken, but Free".

Though Spike had a pretty good idea what it meant, he was still curious. "You...you don't have to answer it, I'll understand," he says. "But...what does that saying meaning?"

"Hmm?" Rachel tilted her head to the side then looking over her shoulder to look at him. "Pardon?"

"Your tattoos...the messed up wings, your scars, the saying, what does it all mean?" Spike asked. "You don't have to answer it if it's too painful. I get it…"

She leaned more against him, letting out a deep sigh. Her eyes closed.

"Those scars...those burns….your father did that to you?" Spike asked quietly. Rachel replied with a subtle nod.

"The abridge and quick explanation...I already told you before...my father was an angry bastard. Mad at the world for his failings, his screw ups. He took it out on me and my mom." Rachel started off. "My mom would get the blunt of his abuse. At first for me it was the shouting, cursing me out like a damn dog, calling me a mistake. When my mom died in a car accident when I turned thirteen, the shit gotten much...much worse. He blamed me for her death. Everytime I made the slightest mistake, like accidently dropping a plate...he'd take the car keys, heated them up on the stove and carve what you see there." She tapped what she could reach on her shoulder. "I gotten my tallness from him, he was much bigger than me, I couldn't fight him off when he did that."

Spike listened carefully. His heart was breaking for what she went through with her father. Her ears weren't turning red so she wasn't lying about any of this…

"One night, when I was fifteen, I had just about enough of it all. The abuse, no one helping me, nowhere to go, I thought...of an alternative way out. I had some pills...I came close to taking all of it when all of the sudden, something told me to check the news. I got to my laptop and typed in the news, and low and behold...there was an experiment group, looking for kids 18+, the Settlement program for Equestria. I took what money I could find, grabbed a small backpack filled with clothes and left at the dead of night. The wings I got, were a tribute to my mom. She had similar tattooing on her back as well. The saying means, though I'm tattered, kender spirit broken, but I'm free. Free from the hardships I've went through in life. That I rescued myself...but to tell you the truth, the program save my life."

Spike sat in silence after listening Rachel tell her story. His heart felt numb after what he heard. What she had to go through….what she had attempted to do to herself just to ended it all before coming here. His fingers gently traced her stomach as he kissed along her shoulders.

"Rachel… I'm glad you came here." He mutters softly against the human's skin. "I'm glad that I met you."

"I'm glad that I met you too, Spike." Rachel said, leaning back against him. Her head resting on his chest.

Spike trailed over to her sides in the same gentle manner and Rachel started giggling suddenly and wiggled in his grip. "Spike!" She giggles.

A mischievous grin then spread across the dragon's lips. "Oh? You didn't tell me you were ticklish." He chuckled.

"No... I'm not." Rachel squeaked. Her ears turned red again.

"Oh Rach…" He singsong her name before his claws started tickling her.

"Nononononono!" Rachel shrieked in laughter. Wiggling and trying to worm away but Spike held her back as his fingers went over her tickling spots. "Sta-stop it!" Her legs splashing the water.

"Ooh-ho I am not letting go." Spike evilly laughs as he kept his act going. She tried and tried to get away from him but it was futile. "I'm not letting you out of my grasp!" He tickles her more.

"Oh no!" She cried out, tears came out from the corner of her eyes and laughing. "Somebody please save me! This dragon has me holding hostage!"

"No one is around, girly." Spike laughed as well and kept on his devilish tortures on his captive. "You're mine now, all mine~!"

Rachel squealed and cried and wiggled in his grip. To ensure that she doesn't escape, Spike wrapped his wings around her body, pressing her harder against his hard chest. His fingers continuing going over her sides. Their little cocoon enclosing them, no one from the outside could see, could barely hear a muffled cry coming from inside.

"Spi-Spike! I yield! I yield!" Rachel laughed breathlessly. She tried pulling Spike off of her but he had proven time and time again today that he stronger than his girlfriend.

Spike chuckled, the sound of her laugh was almost as contagious as Pinkie Pie's and couldn't help but join her.

Spike soon slowed down his tickling to a stop. Leaving both of them breathless and breathing heavy, his hands resting on Rachel's stomach and placed his head on her shoulders. Both of them chuckling sitting in their enclosement in silence.

The two sat there in the dark for a while. Spike went to unwrap them when he gotten a strong whiff coming from Rachel. Her scent seemed stronger as they sat in the heated pool, encased by his wings. His pupils turned to slits as he taken her in. Rachel repositioned herself, causing him to hiss softly.

Spike's eyes adjusted to the dark so he saw Rachel looking over her shoulders. Looking at him with half-lidded eyes. Spike stared hungrily at her slightly parted lips, licking his own, tightening his grip onto her. He wanted her.

Rachel turned slightly, her hand reached up, placing it on Spike's cheek before the two shared a kiss.

Soft, sweet, her lips tasted just as that. Being in this enclosed wing cocoon seemed to intensify it, Not like the kiss on the beach or at the club, this kiss was much sweeter.

More intoxicating and Spike couldn't get enough of it. Couldn't get enough of Rachel. His mind was going blank and he moved more into the kiss, slipping his forked tongue in his date's mouth, scraping the roof of her mouth and swirling around inside.

Rachel jolted by the invasion. His tongue felt a bit on the rough side, almost reminded her of how a cat's tongue is when they lick her hand. But she didn't pull away or told him to stop, instead, she joined in with hers. A lustful moan escaped her lips upon doing so.

Their tongues danced, almost wrestling of sorts, fighting for dominance, eventually left the two breathless.

Then, almost as if a light bulb went off of Rachel's head. She grinned softly, a hand raised up…

And brushes along the inner membrane of Spike's wings.

Spike's wings pulsated by her touch, a low hiss escaped from his lips and the hold he has on Rachel tightens up.

"Don't." He warns her.

If pegasi - and alicorns - are sensitive about their feathered, pillow soft wings, they are nothing in comparison to dragon wings. Sure all winged creatures, their wings are splayed out of interest of in individual - or case "wing boners", but having any creature touch their wings, the exposed nerves, the tough but oh so thin material woven in between the talons sends sort of a shock throughout the dragon's body.

In their culture, only their lovers - mates - are allowed to touch. It's considered taboo for someone who is not a mate to the dragon. Twilight barely got away with it when she helped Spike out with his wings the other day.

But in other words, touching a dragon's wings makes them not only dangerous, but they go fuckin' nuts with lustual greed.

Hence Spike's warning. A warning Rachel wasn't taking.

Her hands glided across the veining surface, her fingers stroking up and down the talons.

Those slow, demented, dastardly wicked fingers!

"Rachel…. Please stop." Spike said horsley, trying to restrain himself. The combo of her fingers, her strong scent...he could move his wings out of her reach but his body didn't work.

Rachel knew what she was doing. She served a lot of dragons to know a bit about their culture and what happens when others touch their wings. She learned well as in result of Spike trying to hold himself back.

And he was failing miserably.

One of Spike's hands began to roam, traveling down her stomach, hovering over the band of her thong and his other hand began fingering the thin string on her top.

"Big baby." Rachel cooed, her fingers stronging along the membrane and back up.

Spike growled softly, his hand moving from her swimming bottom and starts tracing tiny circles all over her inner thigh, slowly making up to their destination.

Even though they were in a pool, Spike could feel some heat coming off of her, despite being in a heated pool. Traveling up further, he could feel this slickness, it didn't feel like the pool water.

In other terms, Rachel was in heat.

His desire jolted against the girl's backside, constricted in his boxers. Spike hissed deeply when he felt Rachel actually grinding her butt against him.

"What are you going to do to stop me?" She challenged him.

Oh no she didn't!

Spike gave a long slow lick along her neck, up to behind her ear, breathing deeply. He gave her a second to quit before she get too far. When she didn't, he let out a dangerous growl.

Before one hand pushed through her bikini top, grabbing ahold of her left breast and the other hand slipped past the waistband and drobe two of his fingers deep inside her.

Rachel gasped loudly by spike's invasion. Her hand moved away from his wings. The feel of his fingers were already larger of that of her ex's - stretching her vaginal walls by those fingers. Rachel felt so hot, even Spike could feel her heat as he dug around, exploring her depths.

Squeezing her breast, they were the perfect size in spike's other hand. Soft but firm, malleable. He squeezed and teased, hearing Rachel moaning and melt by his hands. His fingers grabbed hold of her aching nipple, rolling it between in thumb and index fingers, pinching and pulling till she cried out.

"Spi-oh fuck oh!" Rachel cried out but she didn't try to stop him. Stopping him from playing her breast or digging inside her, pumping in and out of her in a rapid rate. "Fuck, puck fuck yes!" she arched her back against him to have him do more.

Rachel got him going, it'll take a fuckin' miracleal for him to stop.

Spike let out a low chuckle, breathing heavily down her neck. Not a total memory, but more like a segment of images from his Discorded moment came to his mind. He remembered what he did to that fanmare. She called out like that as well, screaming in pleasure in midst of the the harsh rate he was going at, like Rachel was now.

Only difference was that Spike wanted Rachel, and he was wanting to make her officially his.

He smiled, "is this what you wanted?" Spike asked, bring his lips done on her neck. Traveling, leaving rather feather like kisses to the nape of rachel's neck. He kept playing her, his teeth grazing that sensitive spot of her neck before giving her a nip. The bite wasn't hard enough to break her skin, but it was enough to make her holler out, quickly forming a large bruise.

It's a dragon custom, integrated in each dragon even before one would hatch, on instinct, the male dragon would bite their mates, marking them as theirs and to warn other male dragons to back the hell away, that she was his. But even hormonally filled with sexual greed Spike was, he knew he couldn't actually mark Rachel or else she'll die.

Key word compromise here.

"Do you want this?" He asked her again against her skin. Kissing her hurt away as her continued to squeezed and finger fucked her. "Should I explore more? Hmm?"

Rachel couldn't even form words, only loud moans that are intensifying by the enclosed winged cage.

When she couldn't reply, Spike's widicked pleasuring came to a halt, leaving Rachel whimpering. Close...she was coming close and he'd stop. His fingers staying inside her and his other hand pressed against her.

"Or should I stop all together and call it a night?" Spike grinned maliciously. He wanted to stop these game, it was becoming painful and his cock was constructed by the cloth of his boxers, by that thin cloth up against Rachel's ass. How easy it would be, to pull both fabrics away and take what he - they wanted. "Well?"

Rachel shook her head. "N-no!" She gasped.

"No?" Spike cooed softly. "No to what? No to this?" Spike kisses that one spot on her neck that had a moan escaping from her lips. "No to this?" He palms her breast, switching to her other and gave it the same treatment.

Rachel bit her lower lips, her breasts being tugged and twisted, her eyes closed shut. Left whimpering, feeling deprived of what she really wanted.

"Or no to this?" Spike then wiggled his two fingers lightly, dancing just over her G-spot. Her hole body jolted.

"Ah~hah!" She cried out. Rachel quickly placed both of her hands over Spike's. Trying to hold both in place. "No! Please don't stop, don't stop!" She shouted, almost begging.

It's been awhile since Rachel felt like this. It wasn't something she took likely, almost having to beg for release. She knew what she signed up when she messed with his wings. Rachel wanted this, she made an oath to herself the next guy she even falls for could make her into this whimpering state. And the way Spike was going at it, she was fucking loving every minute of it!

Spike chuckled, then let a low huff. "Ask..and you shall receive!" He resumed his wicked pleasuring. Slamming his fingers inside her and playing - teasing her tit flesh, kissing along her neck, stimulating her all over the place.

Relentlessly driving deeper inside her, squeezing her breasts, kissing that one achingly tender spot on her neck, it was driving Rachel to the brink of mind shattering. Hearing her moans growing louder and louder to the point where she was screaming. The mix of the right amount of pain and intense pleasuring sent her over the edge.

Of Rachel was this sexually tensed and just fell into this state by his fingers, just imagine what she would feel and react if Spike have inserted his aching hard on deeply inside her. That thought along had in snarling in content. Spike didn't know how much he could restrain himself from actually letting his lustful greed set completely loose on her.

That went over the damn railing and into the ocean the second Rach shatters on him, his fingers felt her walls squeeze and relaxed and she came all over his hand - though it was quickly washed away by the pool water. Rachel was left whimpering, her mind went blank as she went into a state of euphoria and bliss.

It didn't take no time at all to recuperate, Spike had let go from her breasts, grabbed her by the chin to have her face him and smashed his lips against hers.

Rachel moaned deeply, kissing as much passion and lustful rage she was in. Both hungerly devouring each other.

Spike eventually redrew his frings out of her readied sex, unfurling his wings to give his girl a moment to repositioned herself. Straddling on his lap, he wrapped his hand around and as they kissed.

Spike grabbed her ass roughly, feeling her up before grabbing her bikini thong and proceed to bringing them down. He growled when he feels Rachel grinding against him.

Rachel had her hands going for his crotch. Though in their fabric prison, she felt that he was large. Larger in obvious thickness and in length than she was used to. The thought of it insider her made her kiss him harder.

She assisted on pulling his cock out, she was more than ready.

As Spike was able to pull her thong off and Rachel just about had himself out, Spike's stomach started to rumble.

And it wasn't the kind where he eats too much food or his hunger to mate.

This felt something large and it was coming from fucking Canterlot!

"Oh no…" Spike groaned, belching softly.

"Oh gross." Rachel breathlessly groan in disgust, luckily ignorant to what was going on, kissing along his jaw, still wanting to continue their intimacy.

Spike rumbled louder, sounding like an animal was trapped inside his gut and it was calling out for help. Spike latched his hands over his snout, in hopes to have what's coming to stay where they were.

It was coming faster than RD doing the sonic rainboom and Spike couldn't do shit to stop it.

He quickly pushed Rachel away from him, having her pushed to the other side of the pool. He hops out, his hand over his gut.

With a loud, disgusting burp, a fiery green flame shoots out of his mouth.

Along with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack. The girls shout out in a golden smoke, all screaming - Pinkie in her case laughing = collided with a set of lounge chairs. Spike collapsed to his knees and was reduced to a coughing, sickening state.

"Spike!" rachel swam up to the edge of the pool - after pulling her bottoms back on and ran to his side.

The other girls groaned, all of them in sort of pain from coming back.

"Never...have I ever! Witness! Such a damning...painful experience of traveling…" Twilight moaned. The girls were tangled up with the chairs.

"That was fun!" Pinkie giggled, her being at the top of the pile, not tangled up in the mess. "But i don't want to do that again."

"You said it!" Both RD and AJ said in unison.

"Rachel…" Spike groaned, his belly aching. He looked up to his girl before passing out.

Not before declaring that he hates every last one of his friends!


	6. Day: ve (Side story)

Deep within the heart of the mountain, in the outskirts of the Dragon Lands, Dragon Lord Spike sat on his throne. Dreading away as the last of the peasants left the throne room.

All day, all week, the lord has seated in political meetings, dealing with the Changeling allies, keeping a measly peace treaty between the Ponies and and insufferable humans.

Human, Bah! They're little annoying pests is what Spike thought of them. They came to this world and tried to take it? It nearly led this world into a war where no side will win. And what was worse, the so called "Rebel Leader" (Spike would rather enjoy eating him if the bastard show his face around here) offered his only daughter up for Spike to keep what humans were left.

With a huff, Spike shook his head, thinking about her again. For a human, she grown on him. More than anyone could even imagine.

To his subjects, the human offering was nothing more than a toy, a slave to their Lord, and the reasoning of the cold war. Though they never imagine when she first waltzed through the mountain halls that she had more fire in her. More spirit. Even the long months since she came to stay here, she always fights, she never gave in nor surrendered to him.

There wasn't a need to.

His second-in-command Ember, always asked of him to just rid of her since she never obeyed the orders, always had the guts to fight tooth and nail with her and the other dragons. He could see the anxiety and the itch of his subjects to punish her.

But Spike had one rule, one order that if they disobey it, it's automatic treasoning to the crown and they are sentenced to death.

The girl is _off-limits_ to anyone but him and those carefully selected are to do so. And since no dragon ever threatens to disobey a direct order from the crown, no one touches her.

But that doesn't stop them from complaining and acting like whiny two year olds.

Being a ruler among the whole dragon race, there wasn't enough leisure time than Spike would've wanted to be. There were times he actually fallen asleep on this chair while other dragons requested either his help, shifting through meetings. Sometimes it would take literally a week before Spike could actually see his bed or her.

When he saw the chancoller with an arm's worth of paperwork walking towards him, Spike groaned.

Someone save him from this. Just once please.

And low and behold, Commander Ember storms through the hall, knocking the dragon's arm - having him drop the paperwork to the ground - and marched right up to him. She gave him a brief bow before glaring at him.

"Lord Spike, you better do something to that human or else something is gonna happen." Ember snarled.

Trying not to smirk when seeing the slips of paper falling to the ground, the lord snapped his gaze to her, snarling back at her threat.

"You know the rules, Ember," Spike said, his voice low and deep. It reverberated the mountain. "You or anyone else will not lay a hand on her."

"Sir, I know, but the creature is restless. More so in the past week." Ember went on, her temper flaring. "Those two idiots we've extradited from the Changeling territory, they are not keeping her in her place as you said they would."

Spike grunted annoyingly, rubbing his snout. The only reason he even allow Ember to be his second was because his predecessor was her father and she knows more about politics. When he didn't keep her for is to annoy him about the same damn subject.

The bloodstone staff glowed softly in result of his annoyance. Power seeping from the all mighty staff, those wielding it controls the whole race and obtain magical abilities of their wildest dreams. The look in Ember's eyes as she stared at the stone was enough for Spike to grab it and tapped the end of it twice on the obsidian step. Causing it to stop it's glowing.

"Ember," He growled her name, "I keep you around here to be my second in command of the army and you know more about royalty than I. To give me advice when I am in need of it."

"If you want my advice, my lord: dump the human." Ember said. "Your so called "punishments" only work on her for so long. But she has not once cracked. If I were to know better, I would say she has gotten you soft."

The staff glowed crimson, the floor of the hall groaned. Shadows from the flickering ambers shot out, wrapped around the blue dragon tightly. The shadows having an ironclad grip, gripping onto her neck, squeezing her windpipe.

She choked out as her body was lifted in the air. Feeling the shadowy tenderill enclosing her ability to breathe. Her eyes near bulging out of her skull. The nearby guard winced and slowly backed away from their posts.

When the lord gets like this, it's best to slowly back away. Dragons were already ruthless, Spike makes all the others look like annoying flies.

"Don't...ever underestimate me or my abilities ever again." Spike warns Ember and to those who may still be around.

That wasn't a threat he just gave, that was a promise. A promise he will keep if his _subordinates_ keep undermining him and will do anything to put any of them in their place.

No matter who they are. Friends included.

Spike held Ember in this deathlike grasp for a moment, to the brink she was about to lose consciousness, he tapped his staff and Ember dropped to the ground, haphazardly coughing. Grabbing her throat, gasping heavily. Her chest rapidly going up and down.

Her redder eyes looked up at her Dragon Lord, a hint of fear was shown. "Please forgive me, my lord."

The lord grunted before he waited for her to collected herself. He almost lost patience before she stood up, still rubbing her throat. A noticeable impression of the tendril was on around her neck.

Ember casted a look towards the door. "I'll take you to her…" she said rather quietly.

"That would be a good idea." Spike said before following her lead.

Following his second in command, the Lord could hear a raging storm was close, coming through the crimson skies that lay outside. Each step their feet made on the granite floors echoed the cavernous halls.

Closer he was to the room, Spike could already smell her scent. She always had that strong, sweetly smell. More than he liked to admit it, he was merely infatuated with her scent.

When they came to the chambers, there were sounds of a struggle coming from the other side of the door. Grunts and shouts were coming from inside.

Ember and Spike looked at each other before storming inside, kicking the chamber doors open. Then they opened they saw two dragons, near identical to Spike but the one on the left had teal and purple scales and the other viceversa, both were tied up in strong ropes and were on the ground.

Spike #1 grunted. "Hey, get your damn tail out of my ass!" Though, instead of hearing Spike's voice, it sounded just like a female.

"Well, get your spikes out of my back! Do you know how much pain it is with those things poking at me!" Spike #2, also sounded female, shouted back.

"What happened?" Spike asked the two before a brief red glow, the two dragons changed into a couple of female changelings.

Though not exactly, they are cousins the the species. Their anatomy and magic are different. While typical changelings are bug like - even before they converted to their colorful counterparts - these two species have more of an alluring form. Meant to lure in ponies and bring them in into sexual intercourse.

They feed off of lust instead of love. Hence they are called _sexlings_ , and it works in both of their favors - sexlings get their feeding on, and their victims can have their fantasies coming true.

But with these two fuck bugs, they were in charge of keeping the human satisfied with her...needs when it comes to be when the Lord is unable to do it himself 'cause of his royal duties.

"Ruby, Gemcity," Ember barked, getting their attention.. "What the fuck is going on? Where is the human?!"

"We don't know!" The teal sexlings grunted, struggling with her twin.

"At first we came here because she was more tensed than usual, the bitch got the drop on us." The purple one hissed.

Spike snarled. The blood septer glowed. "Where...Is...She?"

He soon gotten his answer.

Coming from behind the open door, holding a blade she lifted from one of the twins. Rachel jumps out. She goes to attack the Lord.

Spike easily moved out of the blade's swipe. Ember comes up behind Rachel. The tall dragoness grabbed her arms before slamming her to the wall.

The dagger gets knocked out of Rachel's. She struggled in Ember's grasp.

"Let go!" Rachel shouted.

Spike looked down at her, wearing a rather flowing white gown, her hair, though recently cut short as a result of a...certain foolish guard that tried to touch her (that didn't end well), it framed her round face nicely. He bends down, scooping the dagger up and holding it in his hands as he stood up. He tsked softly, wielding the blade itself.

"My, have you been a naughty thing." He chuckles darkly before casting a menacing glare at the twins.

Both of them began sweating nervously. And judging by the lack of blade in Gemcity's holster, it belonged to her.

With a swift flick of his wrist, the dagger flew out of his hand. The girls screamed, flinching at the movement. Believing it was gonna hit one of them, but really it was to cut the rope.

"Sir," Ember calls him, holding the struggling human in place. Though the dragoness was stronger than the feeble human, it didn't stop Rachel for trying to fight. "She tried an attempt of your life, what should we do to her now?"

Spike thought about it as the twins collected themselves and quickly raced out of the chambers. He eyes at the struggling girl, though it was useless for her to keep fighting.

Her eyes full of fury and passion, the strength of her will, actually giving him an excuse to punish her. The more she was getting mad, the more it just looked cute on her.

"Leave us," He tells Ember then.

"But sir, I-"

"I will not repeat myself, Ember." Spike hissed lowly at her.

As much as Ember was against this, she hesitantly nodded before releasing the human.

Rachel rubbed her right arm as she was being let go. She watched from over her shoulder and watched the blue dragon leaving, closing the chamber doors behind her.

With a slam of the end of the Blood Staff, the room formed a sort of dome around the chambers, no one in nor out. Virtually sound proof.

Spike walked over to a desk - the chamber had a single large round bed, a dresser filled with many clothings, a desk with a vanity mirror and an extra room for her toiletries. The walls, were filled with drawings, probably done them out of boredom when she wasn't fighting with the other dragons.

He leans the staff on the desk and turned to Rachel. "Where did you get the rope?" He asks her.

She glared at him, rubbing where Ember grabbed her. "Last time you were here, you left them." She spat at him.

"Hmm," he hummed softly. The two stood there, staring at each other with intent of harming one another…

"Took you long enough." She said rather harshly…

Before both of their lips failed to keep this hatred look on their faces. Soon, the soundproof room was filled with joyful sounds of laughter.

Rachel raced over to the Dragon Lord, jumping up, wrapping her legs around him as Spike held her up. Both of them in a deep, passionate kiss.

Spike, carrying her in place, walked over to the bed and fell in it without breaking this long session.

What no other dragon ever knew, that way before Rachel was used to calm the war, she and Spike were seeing each other.

It was during a flight Spike had taken to get away from everyone - he needed me time - and found this lone girl near the watering hole he often goes. Obviously at first glance, Rachel was scared, but she didn't know who the Dragon Lord was. But after like five minutes later, she wasn't afraid anymore.

Each day for seven months prior to her coming here, they would see each other. And then one day, it happened, they fell and made love under the starry night. If anyone would knew that a Dragon and a human were together, it would cause chaos. Sure Spike was rather angered by her father's decision to offer his daughter to prevent the destruction of his pathetic rebel camp, it made Spike happy.

In fact, it was Rachel's idea to keep the act up and fight with anyone but him. It turned him on in so many ways it was driving him nuts.

What was funny, to keep up the act more, she offered her best friends to make things interesting. He did find it funny.

"I missed you…" Rachel cooed softly. Spike kisses were feather-light, retaking in her sweet scent.

"You have no idea how much the feeling's mutual." Spike said softly as he trailed down to her neck. Down to that one sweet spot that had her sweetly moan, music sounding to his ears.

Spike's hand trailed down to the fabric of this gown. There wasn't room for much chit chat. He goes to pull the nightgown up…

Till he heard a giggle. "Seriously? Reenacting _All Hail the Draconic Queen?_ "

Spike snapped his head up from his lover and groaned.

Fucking Luna!

"Why must all of my friends ruin my life?" Spike asked himself with a whine.

"Oh young Spike." the night princess giggled. "If I were to ruin it, I'd do this," She said, snapping her fingers.

"Oh Spikey Wikey!"

Spike froze. He looked down where Rachel was.

Fuck it, it was Rarity in her place!

Spike screamed, jumping off the bed. He staggered away from it before glaring at Luna. "Not fucking cool!" His face was flushed red.

"Oh Spike, it's not my fault. My sister asked me to...punish you for using our castle as your personal dump." She replied with a giggled. "Seriously? You're reenacting a Harlequin novel."

"Fuck off!" Spike shouted out of embarrassment. "I-i-it was one of the books Cadence let me read. I-I-gah!" He covered his face with his hands. His entire body was burning red. "Get out of my head!"

Luna nodded. "As you wish." She said, not before snapping her fingers and left his dream.

A pair of hands reached around the poor dragon, causing him to jump.

" _Sssssssssssssssssssssppppppppppppppppppike!"_ turning around and it was another Rarity, this time moaning like a damn zombie.

" _I want yoooouuu!"_ another Rarity moaning caused him again to turn around. On the bed were more Rarities, all reaching out for him, crawling towards him.

Soon, more and more Rarities began to appear.

Spike shouted as he was faced with an army of white marshmallow zombies! He tried to burn them with his fire when his flame were replaced with bubbles.

"Not this dream again!" He screamed. He runs to the chamber doors when the doors broke by more Rarities. All wanted a piece of him.

This wasn't a dream, this was a fuckin' nightmare!

All the Rarities had backed Spike to a way. Spike had grabbed a chair and swung at them but they just keep going. Soon over powering him.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Spike screams loudly.

* * *

Spike sat up in his bed with a scream. His whole body drenched in burning sweat.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall, seeing it was barely two in the morning. He was back in his cabin, back on the cruiseliner.

Spike groaned loudly before falling back on his back. "Note to self, find a way to send that nightmareic bitch back to the fuckin' moon… and return Cadence's books when I get a chance."


	7. Day Five

Those who've came back last night via dragon breath, the girls slumped over the dining table, awaiting for their meals. Even Pinkie Pie, the happiest one of them all, was looking a bit green around the gills.

"Well...last night sucked." Applejack groaned softly. Her hat draping over her eyes to block the sunlight.

"I dreamed I was eaten by a dragon...and then was puked back up." Rainbow groaned as well.

"Well, we all were sent to Canterlot by Spike and returned by Celly." Pinkie reminded. "But it was fun."

"What is being burned alive, our ashes carried off miles away and pieced together multiple times fun?" Twilight turn her head to the side to look at Pinkie Pie. "Princess Celestia did mention there were side effects on sending live things through Spike's firebreath."

"That's what you guys get for getting in Spike's way." Fluttershy and Starlight came into the group. Both of them looked mortally exhausted. Even Angel Bunny was draped on top of Flutter's head exhausted. "I told you we should leave him be…"

"Oh can it." Rainbow Dash grunted at the pegasus before seeing the servers coming towards them with cereal, trays of fruit and glasses of seltzers for their bellies.

"What's got you guys so tired. You weren't sent away." Twilight said, looking at them.

Starlight Glimmer yawned before levitating a cup of coffee over to them and took a long drink. "We were keeping Rarity away." she responded before smacking her lips. "Needs sugar...a lot of sugar."

The girls at the table lifted their heads up at that. "What did she do?" one of them asked the two.

"It's bad," Fluttershy responded. "Very, very bad."

"I don't know what you mean by that, darling." All of them turned to see Rarity.

Rarity look positively amazing considering the confrontation with Spike and the booze she consumed last night. Her hair bounced neatly and her makeup was perfect as always.

"Last night was just a simple misunderstanding." Rarity said as she took a seat at the table with a hum.

Fluttershy, Starlight, and Angel Bunny facepalmed at her comment.

A deep grunt caused all the girls to stiffen.

Spike stood over them. This stoney look on his face was clear.

He.

Was.

Pissed.

Dressed in a simple white shirt and pants, the dragon reached over the table, grabbing an orange before turning away.

Everyone at the table was too shaken to speak. Most of them did cut in his date with Rachel. And from where Twilight and the others appeared, it wasn't good.

Everyone that was but Fluttershy.

"Morning." Fluttershy said.

Spike stopped when he heard her voice. He turned to her and actually gave her a soft smile. "Morning Flutters, morning Starlight." He greeted them.

Fluttershy and Starlight let out a breath of air. Relaxing that he wasn't mad at them. Probably because they actually tried to stop Rarity and not intervene with his day like everypony else.

Spike used one of his claws to peel the orange skin off and slipped a piece of it into his mouth.

"How are you feeling, after last night?" Twilight asked him then.

"Fine." He said blunt at her.

"How did you date go last night?" Rarity then asked, taking a sip of her drink. Obviously, Spike acted as if she wasn't even in the same dimension."Did you hear me, Spikey? I asked how was your date?"

Again, Spike ignored her, taking another slice of orange and popping it in his mouth again.

"How's your date last night, Spike?" Pinkie Pie then asked him. "We're sorry for ruining it."

"How did we ruin it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Spike made a look at Dash. "Really? You really gonna ask me that? After you nearly killed every pony with the ferris wheel?"

"Oh it wasn't that bad!" Dash shouted before her stomach started to turn and groaned loudly, falling in the table face first. Looking like she was going to puke.

Spike smirked at that before looking at Pinkie. Pinkie wasn't quite bad as the others, she got off lightly. "My date went fine, all things considering."

"Till we came after ya-" Applejack starts.

"Don't fucking remind me, AJ." Spike quickly cut her off. Too soon to mention the biggest cockblock he endured ever.

Applejack flinched as Captain Sea Sun approached the table. He smiled at all of the girls, tipping his hat in greeting. "Greetings ladies."

"Hey Sea Sun." Starlight greeted with a smile.

"Hi there, Captain." Twilight sat up. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing much" The captain said. "I just decided to drop off and to see how are you all are enjoying the cruise."

"I say we're enjoying it splendidly." Rarity smiled at him.

Every one of her friends sent a menacing glare at her. Most of the heat coming off of Spike..

"Is there something we can do for you?" Starlight asked, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Well, yes exactly." He then turned to Spike. "Tomorrow is your birthday, am I correct?"

Spike looked at Sea Sun with a raised brow. "Yeah, it is. What about it?" He asked the captain.

"Well, unfortunately, I will be busy tomorrow, so for tonight, I am throwing a little private get together in honor of you." Sea Sun told him with a smile. "I know you had a few rough days, so I would like to make it up to you by throwing you a dinner."

"Oh," Spike straightened up with that. "Really?"

The girls all let out an excited comment about that. All of them joining the Captain for dinner.

"All of you are invited of course, you can even bring dates if you so chose to do."

Spike couldn't help but smile, thinking about _his_ date.

Well, hoping Rachel was still his date. He wasn't sure after the end of their date last night.

"Thank you Sea Sun, that's so kind of you." Starlight smiled at her friend.

"Yeah," Spike said with a grin. "Thank you."

The captain nodded to him. "Dinner is at eight o'clock, please don't be late." He said before placing his cap back on and takes off.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Pinkie Pie bursts up, confetti bursts out in excitement. "A pirate party for you Spike!" She then gasps loudly. "I gotta help plan!" She then sped off after the captain and help plan the party.

"Oh this is going to be….awkward." Twilight chuckled nervously. Sea Sun meant private party, not pirate party. This was going to be fun.

"Oh that pony…" Spike chuckled, shaking his head before heading off.

"Where you off to?" Rarity asked.

And was only met with silence.

"Wait!" Twilight then gets up, groaning with the ache in her belly before walking up to him. She dug into her dress pocket and hands him a couple of tiny bottles.

"What is this?" He asked her, looking at the vials closely.

She whispers what they were and slowly, the corners of the dragon's lips curled up into a big smile. "It was hard, but I managed to turn that spell into a potion for you and Rachel. Since well...we girls did but in and all."

Spike grinned and looked at her. "Okay Twi, you're forgiven." He said before taking off to find Rachel.

"What did you give him?" Rarity asked Twilight, watching the exchange curiously.

"Well, after all of us girls gotten Spike back to his room, Rachel and I talked a bit and she mentioned something Spike had offered." Twilight giggled. "I just made a simple potion that can give him the ability to."

"But we're not going to butt in, right?" Fluttershy asked them. "I don't think Spike would taken kindly for you girls ruining his moment again."

"Oh, I think we all learned our lesson." Applejack grunted. She wasn't feeling well, she ended up picking up a pear without realizing it and taking a bite.

* * *

Spike walked around the party deck. The zeppelin had already taking off the dock early this morning and they were already out in the open skies. A little party in honor of his birthday and Twilight's little gift, he was all too excited for this.

He took his phone out, dialed Rachel's number and waits for her to pick up.

" _Hey there!_ " Rachel's voice came out.

"Hey Rach, I was wa-" Then Spike realized it was a voice message.

" _Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, I'm either at work, working on a new painting or doing something involving the twins. Leave your message at the beep and I'll get back to you in a jiff. Have a nice da-"_

 _"_ _Rachel, where is my nurse costume?!"_ that sounded like one of the twins calling out.

Rachel's voice groaned. " _What?"_

 _"_ _Where is my nurse costume?"_

 _"_ _I uh...put it away."_

 _"_ _Where?"_

 _"_ _Why do you need to know?"_

 _"_ _I need it!"_

Rachel groans heavily. " _Oh no, you two are not going off to work. We've been planning this dinner for two months now!_

 _"_ _Our bellies are endanger!"_

 _"_ _My evening is endanger!"_ Rachel started growling.

" _Girl you better tell me where my costume is. We are talking about serving the greater good_!"

 _"_ _The greater good? Bitch I am your sister! I'm the greatest_ _Good_ _you'll ever gonna get!_ " The recording ends there with a beep.

Even in a voice recording, how Rachel interacts with her roomates is very entertaining. Still, she didn't pick up.

I sighed softly before looking around. He tried calling her again and the crazy recording came back.

"Maybe she's in the shower or something?" He muttered.

His phone then went off with his girl's name flashing on the caller ID.

He slide the green arrow and answered. "Hey, I was just calling you."

 _"_ _Sorry dude, wrong girl._ " it was one of the twins.

"Gemcity?" Spike asked.

" _Ruby, actually."_ Ruby said. _"Rachel handed the phone to me."_

"Um...okay?" Spike muttered, "Why?"

 _"_ _She's drawing. Rachel doesn't like anyone disturb her while she's working on a project, so she trusts me, she handed me the phone so no one bothers her."_

Spike frowned slightly. "Oh...when will she be done?" He asked the mare.

Ruby sighed. " _Now. We didn't bring Rachel out here to have her spend the day playing arts and crafts. Even though we could take them away from her, I don't want to see Rach pissed off anymore than she already has to. So, get your butt down here and talk her out of the boiler room."_

"Boiler room?" Spike raised a brow. "Why is she in the boiler room?"

" _Simple, the boiler room is quiet, no maids barging in, no outside distractions. Seriously, you should see her bedroom if you ever get the chance. Virtually soundproof."_ Ruby said. " _I'll text you the location and get down here."_ She clicked off before Spike could talk more.

Two seconds later, a map was sent to his phone VIA text.

"Oh, alright." He smiled. Memorized the map before taking off. At least this map would lead him to a place he liked to go.

More importantly, to the person he wanted to be with.

Fifteen or so minutes later, after taking a few wrong turns, Spike ended up finding Rachel's scent and it led him right where he wanted to be. The twins stood guard near the door to the boiler room.

"Hi Spike!" Gem greeted with a big smile.

"About time," Ruby nodded as he approached before tossing the phone at him. "Here."

Spike caught it and looked at Ruby with a raised brow.

"She's down there, so tread lightly." Gem warned with a coo. Her lashes fluttered at the dragon in a flirtatious manner.

Combining wearing this skimpy single top and short shorts and long black boots, she was checking Spike out and was making him uncomfortable.

Ruby, thankfully wearing only a tight blue tee, jeans and normal shoes, taps Gem. "Hey, back off." She grunted her. "Keep your legs together, sheesh!"

"I know!" Gemcity groans, standing up and crossing her arms. "I was joking."

Ruby looked at Spike and sighed. "Please ignore her. Her wires are fried in her brain." She said before motioning him to the door. "Good luck."

Spike looked at them before going through the boiler door and walked inside. Down a long winding stairwell to the bowels of the ship, he hears sound of grunting and loud sighs as he ventured down.

"Damn it." It sounded like Rachel, following by the whooshing sounds of fire burning.

It didn't take long till he finds her. Rachel stood over a fiery furnace. She had a sketchbook and pencil at hand and was trying to draw.

Trying being the operative word. She had started off to what looks like chicken scratches get started in her drawing but when she got to a certain point, Rachel curses, tearing the page out of her book and fed it to the furnace.

"Having problems?" Spike called out to her.

She didn't respond, just kept on drawing.

"Rachel?"

Again, no response. Spike gets a little closer to her, seeing her hair was up in a messy bun, through the dancing shadows surrounding him, he could make out her wearing a light blue shirt, capris and sandals. And from what he could tell also…

She has her ears plugged in with headphones and blaring the heck out of her ears.

Spike ended up grinning before crouching down on all fours and slowly crept up to her. His wings tucked in tightly and his tail flickers left to right as he crawled all over to Rachel. Carefully not to make any more noise than necessary.

Step by step. Inch by inch. He slowly got right up to her. Rachel still had no idea that Spike was right behind her.

If Spike hadn't already have horns, more would've grown out as he slowly risen up to his feet. Leaned forward towards her. He stuck his tongue out…

And gave a long lick on the back of her neck.

For a human, Rachel screamed loud and jumped at least ten feet up in the air out of fright before spinning around and kicking Spike squarely in the gut out of response.

Spike actually staggered back by the force of her kick but he was in a uproar laughing at her reaction.

"You asshole!" Rachel snapped at him, ripping the buds out of her ears and glaring at the dragon.

Spike laughed himself into tears before looking at Rachel. Her face was so red, the look on it was priceless.

"Oh c'mon, that was pretty much gift wrapped for me." Spike laughed.

"God, you're a dick." Rachel grunted, but her looking pissed didn't last long as she ends up laughing as well.

After that moment cleared up, they hugged. "How are you feeling?" Rachel then asked him. "After last night and all…"

"Not how I imagine the end of the date to go, that's for sure." Spike chuckled softly, holding her close for a moment before pulling away. "Sorry for...passing out on you."

Rachel shrugs. "Water under the bridge…. Though your friends did interrupt us." She smirked.

Spike turned blushed pure red. "Yeah...sorry about that too...I was-I-I mean~" Rachel cuts him off by a kiss on his cheek.

"Water under the bridge. Though I do feel bad you didn't get any pleasuring." Rachel giggled softly.

 _If we keep going the way we are, that might change…_ Spike thought but he didn't bring it up. "As long as you had a good time."

Rachel raised a brow. "Seriously?"

Spike nods. "Yeah, I don't mind, as long as you had a good time last time, I don't care."

Rachel chuckled softly before looking up at him. "Man, you really are perfect."

"I try." Spike smiled.

Then, judging by the look of her face in this low light, a light bulb went off in her head. "And speaking of perfect, can I ask you a favor? Just a quick one."

Spike raised a brow. "Um...okay?"

She pulls away and grabs her sketchbook and pencil and looked back at him. "I'm working on a big project. It hit me last night and I haven't been able to draw it out."

"Oh, so you want me to model?"

Rachel nods. "Yeah, I have the basic idea, this is going to be turned into a painting as soon as the rough draft is finish. Do you mind?"

The smiling drake looked at his girl with this look on his face that just answered her question.

"Yay!" She cheered before rushing back over to him, giving him a quick hug before pulling him towards the furnaces, having him stood next to it.

She then rushed to a corner, grabbing what seemed to be a broken broom handle and hands it to Spike's left hand. Rachel then took his arms, positioning Spike just how she saw fit, tilting his head to the side and all that.

 _At least she isn't using magic to do this._ Spike thought as he left Rachel set him up before going back to her chair, sat down on it and began drawing. Spike always hated Twilight and Rarity used magic on him - from dragging him around or use him as a pincushion when he was still a baby dragon.

Spike held his pose for Rachel, like the other day she would look up every so often and glanced at him before going back to her page.

That tiny pencil scribbling and erasing as fast as it could, being held by it's master artist. Using only the light of the furnace as Rachel's source of light, she work vigorously non stop till she got what she wanted.

"So...what are you working on that requires me to stand like this?" Spike as Rachel as she starts shading. He could see her fingers getting stained by the lead of the pencil.

"Spoilers darling." Rachel told him, not looking up from her sketchbook and kept shading. She kept working on it for five more minutes before she sighed. "Alright, you can relax now."

Spike just threw the broken broom handle to the side and stretched his arms above his head and sighed. "You got what you need to get done?"

"Eeyup." She giggled as she closed the book up and tucked the pencil into the messy bun on her hair.

"Can I see?"

"Nnope."

Spike chuckled. "Okay, Big Mac. Well then, keep your art to yourself. I'll find out what it is soon enough." He said, putting his hands in his pockets.

The two soon walked out of the boiler room, Rachel handed the book to Ruby and they waved them off.

"So, what is on the agenda today?" Rachel asked him as they walked. She looping her arm around his.

"I have a...a few ideas." Spike grinned. "You are going to love this."

"Oh?"

Spike lead Rachel outside, walking her over to the railing and looked up to the high clouds. "Which one?" He asked her.

"Hmm?" She looked at him confused.

"Which cloud peaks your interest?" Spike asked. "Any cloud. Which one do you like the most?"

"Not much for a cloud picker but oh okay." Rachel mutters before looking up at the sky. They all looked the same to her. Some more fluffier than much. She gazed above it for a moment before pointing at one that looked like it had a shape of an flower that was far up in the sky, pretty much a tiny speck in the sky. "That one I guess."

Spike grinned. He was actually eyeing that one in particular. "Great choice." He said. "Would you like to go there?"

Rachel turned her head towards him in a flash. "What are you talking about?" She asked him. She stared at him for a minute, curious what brought up this act of randomness before it clicked in her brain. She lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. "Are we going to go flying?"

Spike didn't say anything as he turned his back to Rachel and kneels down enough for her to hop on. "You did mention that you'd take my offer of flying." He chuckled, looking at her over his shoulder and saw the huge smile on her face. "Just be careful of the spikes on my spine."

Rachel just stood there with this big grin on her face. A priceless one at that and a perfect picture opportunity.

He smirked. "I don't let just anyone on my back, this is a limited time offer and the window is closing in three...two…"

"Mine!" Rachel suddenly shouted before literally hopping on his back. Her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms around his neck, almost in a bearlike hug.

Spike couldn't help but laugh at her expression as he slowly stood up, haunched over slightly so Rachel wouldn't slip. "Got a good grip."

"Yes, yes yes yes yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes, YES~!" Yeah, Rachel was excited about this. Spike didn't know what was cuter, her getting excited for her plushies or this.

Yeah, definitely this.

Making sure she had a tight hold on him, Spike backs up from railing all the way to the shuffleboard court. He turned to Rachel one more time to make sure she was ready for this. He could literally feel Rachel's heartbeat pounding against his back.

Taking a deep breath, Spike starts running across the deck with a quickness. Almost like the devil himself was after his tail.

Rachel held on tight as he ran. Excitement and a slight twinge of fear coursing through her as the railing came closer and closer. She trusts Spike enough to know that she's safe if anything happens.

Spike jumps up, using the railing as sort of a step before the two jumped off of the ship and began to fall.

Automatically, though she trusts Spike, Rachel still screamed the fact the air rushing through her lungs and she couldn't help herself. Like riding a roller coaster, ya gonna scream, no matter what.

Spike unfurled his wings, spread them as wide as he possibly could. The wind caught him and the two shoots straight into the sky

"WAHOOO!" Rachel screams this time out of joy as Spike began flying against the wind currents.

This was the first time Spike had anyone on his back while flying. He was used to be the one who would ride on during flight. But as Spike grew and his wings coming in, he had to stop riding on Twilight or Rainbow Dash when they go flying. Being on the other end of the flight was a new experience.

It does feel awkward to have someone on his back, but with Rachel being as small as she was, and the fact he was giving his girl a whole new experience up in the skies, it was all worth it.

To impress her and 'cause he can since he's flying, Spike done a series of barrel rolls, flips in the air. Even did some free falls and catching himself and continued off, getting the adrenaline pumping with each flap of his wings. Rachel loved every moment of it.

A childhood fantasy was now checked off her list. To fly on an actual dragon, soaring through the skies was the best thing she ever experienced in her whole life! On apart of coming to a land full of anthro talking colorful ponies and seeing unicorns and pegasi for the first time. Alicorns coming close second.

"Having fun?" Spike asked, his voice loudly carried to her over the wind.

"This is amazing!" Rachel cheered. She reached over to his cheek and kisses him. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She squeals.

"Don't thank me just yet." Spike grinned before taking off towards the flower shaped cloud and hovers a bit.

Making sure Rachel was holding on tightly, he dug into his pockets and presented Twilight's two vials.

"What's that?" Rachel asked him.

"A cloud walking potion. Twilight whipped these up for us. I may have wings but I still can't walk on clouds like pegasi." Spike explained. He pops a cork out of the bottle and hands it to Rachel and opens his up as well. "Bottom's up."

The two clank the glasses before downing the tiny vial. Both of them ended up coughing and sputtering.

"Sheesh, that taste like battery acid, gross!" Rachel groans. Spike gave her a raised look. "When I didn't draw when I was a kid, I'd get bored easily, don't judge." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Spike shrugged, he too done some dumb shit when he was a kid before lowering the two to the cloud.

He tested the solidary of the cloud before kneeling for Rachel to get off. She slid off and found the cloud was solid and could hold both of their weight.

"I love magic." Rachel giggled, jumping the cloud before flopping on her back on the cloud. Her eyes widened. "I _sooooo_ need this as my bed!" She moans at the comfyness of it.

"Yeah, it is comfy up here. I envy Dash and fluttershy just because they can take a nap up here." Spike chuckled, grabbing her hand and hefting her back on her feet. "What a view huh?"

He then show her Equestria in a whole new view. From this height, they could pretty much see every land, every crop, every building placing from where they were. One end of the horizon they could make out the snowy mountains near the Crystal Empire, on the other end they could make out the Canterlot Castle, the everso moving city of Cloudsdale.. Even at the very far distance, they could see the changeling kingdom. And right very below them was the blue ocean.

"Up here, you wouldn't believe this land existed, everyone below us are tiny, like insects scurry about. Their lives moving constantly, worrying every little thing about their existences. But up in the clouds, in the open sky, you don't have to worry about anything. The ability to even experience this… this amazing feeling overtakes you." Spike said as they stared down Equestria. His hand rested on her waist as they took in the scenery. "Up here is anyone's game."

"It's beautiful." Rachel said, taking it all in.

"That's one of the reasons why I love living among the ponies. Not just because I was raised by them, but this...this beautiful place is my home. Sure I have a place among the Dragon Lands and the Changeling Kingdom, but this land… this land is my home and I'm not ashamed of it." Spike said. "When things get too bad, I would spread my wings and take a flight. I would look down and be reminded why I continue to stay."

"And a land I call home as well." Rachel said, turning to look at Spike and smiled softly. "Thank you for flying. You just fulfill my long lost childhood fantasy bucket list."

"And that is?" Spike smirked. "Riding a dragon?"

She gave him a sheepless smile. "I read dragon books when I was little - mainly for the pictures to use as references but that's beside the point. I had...I had always fantasize me riding on the back on the majestic creatures."

Spike let out a laugh. "I don't know if I were to call the other dragons majestic. Most of them are straight up dicks."

"I was eight when I read those books, cut me some slack." Rachel giggled. "But...does this now consider me a dragon rider?"

Spike ended up dying after that and Rachel as well. He ended kissing her. "You are one silly girl." He chuckles.

Rachel smirked, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him.

"You know," Spike starts. "The captain is throwing me a little party tonight. Sort've a birthday bash, would you like to come as my date?"

Rachel hummed. "Does it count as our second date?"

"Naturally."

Rachel stood on her tip toes and kissed his muzzle. "Nice." She said. "I didn't bring a dress with me though, I'm sure the twins could let me borrow something."

And since Spike know they were strippers and all the clothes he seen them worn were alluring and naughty even, his wings shot up in thought seeing Rachel in one of them.

And as a result, Rachel slapped his chest. "Mind out of gutter. Unless you want me to take care of you now like you did to me, no pervy thoughts."

Spike blushed. "Oh, oh that's not necessary." He said quickly, though his wings were having a problem of not going down as the imagine picture of Rachel in something sexy was now stuck in his brain.

And the thought of her getting him off like he did to her last night was making it even worse.

"Um… uh." Spike nervously said.

Oh sweet Celestia, they could actually do it on the cloud, Spike realized. No pony was around to mess with them, they were so high up in the air that they can continue where things were left off from the pool.

That wasn't such a bad idea at first...if there wasn't a fact that Twilight's potion was going to wore off soon, Spike doesn't think he can actually fuck her while he's flying anyway…

And he didn't want it to do out of spite.

"Actually, um...i'm good for now." Spike said, though he told a half lie mainly to himself. "Listen Rachel, as much as I want to continue what we were doing right now, I don't want to do it because you feel obligated. I'm not like other guys."

Rachel slowly blinked at that. "Huh?"

"Yeah, when it happens, I want it to be special, you understand this?" he asked her.

It took Rachel a moment to process that before she smiled, giving him a hug. "You really are perfect."

Spike chuckled and hugged her back. "Glad you think so….huh?!" Spike then noticed both of them were slowly sinking into the cloud. "Shit..." He grunted before grabbing Rachel bridal style and took off flying again off the cloud before they plummet.

They soon relocated the zeppelin and lands on the top deck, ponies were enjoying the sun when they got the surprize of the dragon holding a human landing on the deck.

"Thank you for the fly, Spike." Rachel told him as he let her down. "That was the best thing I ever done in my life."

"I don't let anyone ride on my back, so you must very special." He smirked. "Pick you up later tonight?"

Rachel took her pencil out of her hair and scribbled her room number on the scales of his arm. "Don't stand me up, big guy. Or else you got three bitches after your tail."

"Like I need that to happen." Spike chuckled before they parted off with a kiss and both took off.

Spike was excited about this. Hopefully this date goes as well as it did last night...for the most part. Taking Rachel in a formal dinner, dressed in what would probably be a beautiful dress, him in his tu~

"Fuck Celestia's holy ass!" Spike groaned loudly when the realization hit him.

His suit got burned up on the first night. He didn't bring a second suit… That means, Spike would have to talk to _her_.

Spike made his way back towards the cabins. Following the puking smell of the perfume weighing heavily in the air. He came towards Rarity and Starlight's cabin. Spike didn't like this but he needed a suit.

Rarity could make one for him and have it done by tonight.

He was still angry at her. Rarity had crossed a line bring up something that was frankly, none of her damn business. As much as Spike wanted to continue the conversation he started with her last night, he was there for a suit.

He got to the cabin, took a few soothing breathing techniques Twilight taught him before he briskly knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Rarity's voice called out from the other side.

After a few minutes later, the door opens and Rarity comes out wearing her sewing glasses and her pincushion bracelet.

"Ye-oh!" She looked up and saw Spike. "Oh Spikey," She said, taking her glasses off. "What do I owe this visit?" she smiled. She still acted what happened last night was still a misunderstanding.

Spike just stared at her, unamused. "I need a favor." He said, sucking up his pride and not storm off to find somepony else to help him out.

"Oh?" Rarity perks up.

He rolled his eyes. "I burned my old tux, could you make me a new one by tonight?"

"But darling, there is no need to make a new one." Rarity said exciting before she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside and closes the door.

Inside of the cabin was like any other on the ship, on the exception the fact there were mannequins on display all over the place. Material, dresses, everything from the boutique was here.

The dresses were nice from what he could see. For being a stuck up diva, her work was amazing. All carrying warm colors of blues, light greens, reds and oranges. Depicting the summer season and the ocean.

"Just one moment." She said, her horn sparking in magic. The door to the bathroom opens up and a large purple bag with green flames floats out towards them. "I happen to make an outfit for you for the fashion show. I could wear it as a...sneak peek for tonight."

Of course she would.

Spike took the bag from her, unzipped it to see inside before glancing over to Rarity. "Really?"

"Well? Try it on, darling." Rarity ushered him into the bathroom and stepped aside.

Spike was already regretting this.

He sighed heavily before working on putting the outfit on. The tux was easier to get on than his previous suit. His wings were able to slip through the slits. As soon as his wings slipped through, the gap between the fabric and his body sealed up and makes it comfortable for him to wear it.

When he looked in the mirror, he saw the suit. The suit compliments his purple and green scales. The tux overall was a pale yellow with a scarlet trim and black shoes. The tie was black as well.

Okay, this was nice, he had to admit, but it was bit much. He could ask Rarity if she could change the color to simple, like black, midnight blue, heck, white would suffice.

Then again, he didn't want to stay here any longer than he needed to.  
"Thanks," Spike told Rarity from the bathroom before taking all of it off and putting his other clothes on. Safely putting the tuck into the bag and walked out.

"I don't get to see you in it?" Rarity asked with a frown.

"Don't push it." He snarled at her. Spike makes his way to the door before Rarity spoke again.

"I'm terribly sorry for my behavior last night." She said. "I was under the influence and I-"

"Were you drunk when you were stalking us all damn day?" Spike hissed, casting a glare over his shoulder. "Like I said, don't...push it. Thanks for the suit." He gets to the door, and grabs the knob. "You better behave during this dinner Rarity. And I mean it, play nice."

And with that, he leaves.

* * *

Getting ready for the dinner, Rarity had taken a break of her assemble and went to the spa. The other girls were getting ready as well, but they still were feeling the effects of Spike's fax machine fire.

She had changed into a sparkling blue bathing suit and lay in the soothing tub. The spa ponies brushing through her purple locks and massaging her shoulders.

"Oh my dear, you are tense." one of the ponies tended to her. "Your knots have knots."

Rarity sighed softly as she was being pampered. "I believe I have been." She whimpered softly before breaking down into hysterical crying. "I'm losing my Spikey Wikey, what am I gonna do-hoo!"

"How are you losing him?" The pony doing her hair asked.

Rarity starts crying some more. "I didn't realize what it'll be like to be with him till I saw him with this dreadful human! She's stealing him away from mee-heee!"

"Maybe she didn't and did what he need, somebody to care for him and possibly love him back." The massage pony said, digging into her shoulders a little too harsh.

"Not so hard, darling,:" Rarity groans at the pressure. "Anyway, this human is just as awful as the one I encountered."

"What other human?" both of the ponies tending to her asked.

Rarity let out a shuttered sigh. "I was raped by a human a year ago. It was such a horrible experience. Before it happened, the man tried to ask me out but I brushed him off 'cause I didn't want a male companion that night. I was being nice about it but as it turns out, that human didn't care and did his awful deed to me and left."

"Did they catch him?" The hair pony asked her, brushing her hair.

Rarity nodded. "Yeah, they did and took him back to his human world. That experience taught me anything, is that humans always have a second agenda. And the human Spikey Wikey has, she has one as well. She's no good for him. _Oh look at me, I'm a painter. I live with strippers and lost a child_ oh give me a break! Why would any pony be with someone who would be that type! So Carefree, no class. She lost a baby! She's a murderer and-"

"OH FUCK THIS BITCH!" the massage pony snapped.

Rarity jumped at the roar and turned around. The massage pony started to change. A bright red glow later and she changed into her teal changeling form and hissed.

The hair pony changed as well to her purple changeling form before grabbing her sister and hold her back from attacking Rarity. "Ruby, Ruby, calm down, CALM DOWN!"

"Just gimme five minutes, just five little minutes to rip her head off!" Ruby snarled, trying to rip her sister away and try to reach for Rarity.

"Y-you are changelings?!" Rarity shrieked. Rushing over to the other end of the spa bath.

The purple one rolled her eyes. "Sexlings, there is a major difference, babe." Gemcity said as she held her twin back. "You got a lot of nerve talking crap about our sister like that." She grunted.

"Sister?" Rarity raised a brow. It took a moment before she connected the dots. "Oh…" She recognized their voices and the names. She glared the two. "Just what are you two doing?"

"Well, we _were_ doing our jobs, that's how we're able to like get the cruise here." Gemcity said as she held her sister in place.

"But now, I would like to hurt you for talking shit about Rachel." Ruby snarled at Rarity, she struggled in her twin's grip. "You have no right to be dogging down and talking shit about her you about shit you don't know you stupid, fake ass tits cunt!"

Rarity gasped loudly, covering her breasts with her arms. "Well I never!" She grunted before looking down at them. "I have them perfectly paid for…" She then murmured. She had them well done and the scar wasn't even noticeable.

"We're strippers, we're surrounded by fake boobs all the time." Gemcity giggled. "But seriously though, you should apologize and take what you said about sister back... _or I'll will release this sister and join her!_ " Gemcity ended up with a deep voice - using her changeling magic to deepen her voice to make it creepy.

"Ruby, Gemcity, quit bullshitting around," The sound of the head masseuse snapped at them. "Get back to work, you're not off the clock yet."

The twins looked towards the mare before sighing.

"Well," Rarity then chuckled, straightening up and smirked. "I have my own opinion about your friend. I'm not going to change the fact that I don't like her. Or the fact she isn't right for Spike."

The twins' eyes turned red and their fangs grew. Both of them want to attack her. Now. If there weren't witnesses around, they just might.

"Oh? And you're perfect for him?" Ruby hissed. "What makes you perfect for him?"

"I'm successful, gorgeous. I got my life together~"

"You're a stuck-up sociopathic bitch who manipulates anyone to get what you want, no matter who gets hurt in the process." Gemcity grunted. "I can tell by seeing you guys the other night that you had no heart for Spike. You used his love for you to make him do what you want."

Rarity raised her brows, looking at Gemcity. She went from ditzy to psychologist analyst in a second flat. She honestly had no comeback to that. More out of surprised of Gem's words than logic.

"And when you broke his heart, our sister - who is in pain from losing her baby, which she fucking didn't know she had until it was too late, we were there in the fuckin' room, sitting next to her while her ex was being a total douchebag to her," Ruby grunted heavily. "She gave the one thing Spike wanted from you."

Rarity glared at Ruby. "What does she give him what I can't?"

" **A FUCKING HEART!** " The twins snapped at her at the same time before they changed into their spa pony forms.

"Unlike your jealous cold heart, Rachel's wounded heart is healing his." Ruby said, adjusting her headband. "Spike is doing the same thing to her. They have more heart for each other than you ever will."

"GIRLS NOW!" The head masseuse snapped at them.

Ruby glared at Rarity. "Best to keep your mouth shut," she jabbed a finger to Rarity before she and her twin left.

Rarity watched them leave, folding her arms across her chest. "Savages." She grumbled before looking down at her large breasts, giving them a poke. "Is it that easy to tell?"

* * *

Later on that night, Spike was fitted into his new suit. Though he didn't like the color, he couldn't complain about it. He memorized Rachel's cabin room and hunt towards it. It didn't take long till he caught her scent and found her door.

Taking a deep breath. "Relax, it's just dinner, Spike," he said to himself, readjusting his tie - which Twilight had to help him straightening up again - getting him ready for his date before knocking on her door.

"Coming!" Rachel's voice called through the otherside. After a few moments, the door swings open…

Rachel looked absolutely amazing! She wore this beautiful black cocktail dress. It had a heart-shaped neckline that did reveal just a small amount of cleavage, hugging her waist before flowing freely down just above her knees. She wore simple high heel shoes. She didn't add any color to her hair this time but it was in a simple but beautiful braid with her makeup to match.

"This was literally the most appropriate dress the twins had in their closet." She chuckled softly before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

"You look beautiful." Spike sighed, looking like he was on cloud 9, looking on how beautiful Rachel looked.

He wrapped his arms around the small of her waist, pulled her close to him and gave her a sweet kiss.

Rachel put a hand on his chest, standing on her tiptoes to try and get tall enough to reach to him. They pulled away and she looked at his outfit and snickered. "Black, blue or white would've looked good on you." She giggled. "Or even red."

Spike rolled his eyes. "I know," he sighed. "It's what I had left. Beggars can't be choosers I guess."

"But all and all, you do look handsome." Rachel said.

Spike grinned then before offering his arm for her. "Shall we get this date going?"

Rachel grabbed his arm and smiled. "Yes we shall." She reaches up and kisses his cheek.

Spike smirked before leading Rachel away to the formal dinner.

Up to the private gala on the top deck, the girls dressed in their lovely evening gowns. Most of them dressed in what they wore on the first night.

Except for Rarity, who was dressed in a flowing, sparkling purple dress with yellow accent. Next to her was her date. Trotter, Spike thought it was his name. No doubt she asked him to make Spike jealous.

How could he get jealous when he has this beautiful badass angel by his side. Sure her dress wasn't as fabulous as the other girls, she was stunning in his eyes.

"There's the drake of the hour!" Pinkie first greeted, bouncing over to them. She placed a pirate hat over Spike's head. "I thought the Cap said pirate party and brought that." She giggled.

" _Arrr matey_." Rachel giggled, looking up at Spike.

Spike chuckled before taking the hat off. "Gee, thanks Pinkie." He said before handing it over to one of the human servers' head.

That one human just grinned as if he's been eyeing this hat for quite some time and has just hit the major jackpot.

"You two look nice." Fluttershy giggled as she, Twilight, Starlight, RD and AJ walked up to them.

"Nice suit, banana boy!" Rainbow Dash laughs, looking at his suit.

Spike just looked at Dash as if he's silently saying to her, "if you don't shut up, I will roast you."

Dash chuckled. "I'm just joking." She said.

"Well I think he looks lovely." Rachel said, hugging his arm.

"I'm glad you're here, Rachel." Starlight then said, smiling at the two of them. "It seems you keep Spike here in check." she chuckled.

"Oh ha ha." Spike sarcastically said.

"Spike's being a good boy." Rachel giggled. "He's been good to me." She then looked up at him. "I just hope I'll be able to do the same good to him as much as he's been treating me."

Spike then smiled softly at her words. He leans in and kisses her. "You've done more than enough to me."

"AW!" the other girls, even Rainbow Dash, awed at them.

Rarity rolled her eyes at them.

"Is something wrong, Rarity?" Trotter asked her.

"I'm fine." She bluntly said as the captain waltz in.

"Evening everyone," Sea Sun greeted them. "This little gala is in honor of our very own dragon, Happy Birthday Spike."

All of the girls applaud and clapped towards Spike. Rachel clapped as well as Spike just chuckled softly, scratching his cheek. He does love the attention, but he was trying to keep his greed down.

More servers came in and began setting the table up for the dinner.

They all soon sat down and they all enjoyed the food. It was all delicious! The girls chattered and talked during the dinner. Everyone having their own little conversation with each other. Starlight and Sea Sun talked to each other. Spike and Rachel were having their own conversation. Smiles and laughs shared as they ate.

Rarity just stared at them. She glared at Rachel and Spike. Her horn sparked green out of jealousy. What didn't help was the fact the changeling twins confronted her. She brought Trotter here to think Spike would get jealous to see how happy she would look with somepony else. That wasn't the freaking case!

Trotter tries to get her attention but he sighed heavily when it failed. Feeling like he's being a tool just sitting here. Being brushed off.

Rarity watched them before Rachel stood up, patting Spike's shoulder and walked towards the bathroom.

With a grunt, Rarity got up and followed her.

Spike glared at her as she walked into the bathroom as well.

"Spike?" Twilight called for him.

"If either of them are not out within five or so minutes, please go in check on them." He said. If Rarity tries to do something to Rachel, he swears to Celestia that it's not gonna be pretty.

In the restroom, Rachel was reapplying her lipstick before seeing Rarity storming in. Her horn lit up and the door locked.

Rachel grunted, shaking her head. "Great…" She muttered before turning around to her.

"You have a lot of nerve of sending your changeling minions after me." Rarity growled at her, stomping towards her. "Ruining my spa to boot too!"

Rachel wipes her face. "One, you need to quit spitting, that is gross." She told her. "Two, the twins are sexlings. Changelings fed on love. They feed on sexual lust. And third: I never told them to do anything."

She didn't know that the twins were working to pay for the cruiseliner.

Also, Rarity throwing her dead baby in her face last night still ticked her off.

"I don't care. How would everypony would react if they were told that you sent your _friends_ after me?" Rarity growled. "Who would they believe? Their best friend who is also a victim of the "assault", or a human outsider who slunk their way into the group?"

Rachel picked her nails as Rarity kept rambling on. "Wow, that is so unlady like coming from the element of generosity." She glared at Rarity. "I am sorry for the girls actions. I can't control everything that they do. I'm not their keeper. I didn't tell them to confront you, I'll talked to them when I seen them later."

Rarity made a horse noise, glaring down at her. "I know you have something on your sleeve towards Spike. I don't know what it is, I will find a w-"

"I don't have anything up my sleeve you stupid bitch." Rachel growled at her. "Why would I want to plot anything against Spike? He's the most sweetest, sensitive being I ever met. Why would I want to ruin what is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to me?"

"Spikey Wikey is innocent. I will not have him be soiled by second rate tiny human!" At the last word coming out of her lips, Rarity's horn sparked pure green. Accidently shot out and hit the mirror, cracking it.

That made both of them jumped. They made an eek sound and slowly backed away from the mirror.

"I didn't know I could do that…" Rarity whispered, covering her mouth in surprised.

Rachel's face darkened before turning to Rarity after the initial shock wore off. "Spike didn't seem so innocent last night."

Rarity turned her attention away from the mirror and looked at Rachel with wide eyes. "What?" She asked in surprised.

"You heard me. I wasn't second rate then when he was fondling with my breasts and had his hands down in my panties. Last night in the pool." She said, moving a stray hair away from her eyes and tucking it over her ears."And if it wasn't for Twilight and the others crashing in, we would've done a lot more. He's a grown dragon, he isn't the little baby you first met all those years ago."

"He'll always be my little Spikey Wikey!"

"He'll never be yours 'cause you fucked up!"

Rarity blinked.

"Please, you knew how much Spike was in love of you. You turned his love against him and made him pretty much your slave. I know all of that too well. And when he finally proposed to you, you broke his heart." Rachel folded her arms. "If things were just a little bit different, you would've been in my place. Seeing how much amazing Spike is."

"You've only know him for five days!" Rarity shrieked. "How can you possibly know him? You're a fucking stranger!"

"That may be, but unlike you, I do care about him." Rachel said, standing her ground. "Spike is sweet, amazing, funny, charming, I mean the list goes on and on about how amazing he is. Since meeting him, I feel like I knew him all my life."

"So...after just five days, you are _in love_ with him?"

Rachel nodded. "And he's in love with me."

Rarity shook her head. "He went to the closest person after the incident. I'm willingly to be with him now."

"Because you saw how much you didn't know him." Rachel grunted before walking towards the lock door and began unlocking it. "I'll keep what we said to each other here and I will forgive you for last night 'cause you don't know the whole story….But if you ever...say some shit you don't fully understand or do anything to break me and my boyfriend up. Causing harm to the both of us…."

"Are you threatening me?"

Rachel casted a menacing glare over her shoulder to Rarity. "A little lesson about dragons; they are fiercely loyal to their mates. Meaning they will do anything to protect their lovers. You don't have to worry about me or the twins. There is a nine foot, sheer muscle dragon sitting outside. Spike already see me as his mate.

"I'll repeat last night's warning. Quit before you're ahead. You know what happens when you play with fire." Rachel said. She unlocked the door and walked out.

Rarity tries not to scream. Her horn sparked brightly solid green and the bathroom was filled with smoke.

Spike stood up as she walked out. "Everything okay?" He asked her, making sure she was okay.

"We heard some shouting and did something break in there?" Twilight asked, looking towards the bathroom, seeing the smoke coming out of it.

"Rarity saw a rat, screamed and threw a shoe at it and missed." Rachel said. "Her shoe hit something and everything in there was just a mess."

Everyone looked towards the bathroom. Rarity came out, she looked like she was a mess.

"Did you get that rat?" Dash asked her. Fluttershy frowned when thinking the rat might gotten hurt.

Rarity made a horse noise before walking back to her chair. She glared at Trotter when he tried to talk to her and taking a seat again. "I still haven't got it…" She snarled.

"You sure?" Spike asked, looking back at Rachel, more quietly.

"I can handle myself." She smiled at him in response.

Spike stared at her before smiling back. "That I know." He grabbed her hand. "Want a dance?"

"Lead the way." Rachel nodded and they lead to the dance floor.

The tiny band began playing a song and he and Rachel began dancing. The other girls watched them. Like the first night, Spike show off some amazing dance moves along the song. Rachel had followed along with him. Her taking dance lessons from her mother, it followed her throughout the years.

"Um…" Trotter looked to Rarity. "Do you want to dance?" He asked her.

"Not now." Rarity said, taking a drink of her wine before seeing her reflection. "Oh my gosh I look like a mess!" She starts messing her with her mane, trying to get as much normalcy as it could get.

Trotter made a puppy sound.

Applejack walked up to him. "Want a dance, partner?"

Trotter silently nodded and the two went to the dance floor and began dancing as well.

Either with each other or with one the captain, they all began dancing all but Rarity.

Spike had grabbed Rachel by the waist, throwing her in the air as they spun around. She squealed loudly out of joy as she fell down and continued to dance without missing a beat. There was so much love coming out of the two, all of the other girls couldn't help themselves but feel a bit lighter than air.

"Who taught you how to dance?" Rachel asked as they danced around. "From the moves you made at the nightclub to now?"

Spike chuckled. "I've taken some lessons for the Galloping Gala. It turns out I had a knack of it." He smiled. "It seems your mom taught you more than twirling around in a tutu."

"She taught ballet for kids during the day and late night on weekends, she taught ballroom dancing." Rachel smiled. "I used to watch her from the apartment above the studio. The vent from my room went directly to the studio. She knew I was watching and after each class, she would ask me to dance what I've learned."

"So for the ballroom dancing, you used a doll as your dance partner?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Sir Wiggleton was the second best dance partner I ever had."

He raised a brow to that. "And who, pray tell, is the best partner?"

Rachel hummed as Spike twirled her around. "He's a giant purple and green teddy bear with horns and wings." She smiled.

It took Spike a moment to realize that she was talking about him. He chuckled. "Teddy Bear? Is it because I'm so cute and cuddleable?"

Rachel steps up to him, wrapping her arms around him and hugged him. "Eeyup!"

Spike hugged her back and sighed happily. They pulled away just a bit before sharing a kiss.

"Oh. You are together together?"

Spike and Rachel pulled apart as soon as someone mentioned that. Everyone turned to who spoke, even Rarity.

All eyes…

Were on the captain.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked.

Sea Sun coughed softly, adjusting his tie and looking at the couple. "I didn't fully realize you two were an item."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Twilight asked him.

"Nothing…." Sea Sun said. "I had a few passengers coming up to me during the week. Complaining about how…...disturbing it is to see a human and a dragon together. That it was unsettling."

Rachel and Spike glared at Sea Sun. "I don't think it's none of their business." Spike told him.

"I don't see a problem with them together." Starlight told him.

"Why would others think these two are unsettling?" Applejack asked him. "Spike and Rachel are happy, that's all it matters."

Spike nodded to Aj as a sign of gratitude. Rachel felt that towards her as well.

"It's nothing against the two of you….but…." Sea Sun started, all of their eyes weighing heavily at him. He sighed deeply, shaking his head. "Just seeing two different species having an intimate relationship just isn't natural. An interspecies relationship just isn't natural, I'm sorry."

"HEY!" Spike and Rachel snapped at him.

"That's not very nice." Fluttershy said.

"These two are so cute for each other!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Who cares what others say!"

Rarity wanted to say something but she knows she'll come off as a hypocrite 'cause she didn't want Rachel to be with Spike and instead be with her. So she just glared at the captain.

"Well they should." the captain said.

Spike snorted at his comment before grabbing Rachel's hand. He could see that she was about to pop off, he was about to snap but remembering what he did on the first night, so without saying a word, he and Rachel left the upper deck.

"Well that was a mess!" Rarity grunted loudly as she walked around volleyball deck. "That stallion should have never said anything!"

She rubbed her face with a groan. She saw how much Spike and Rachel were to each other. With Rachel not backing down and Spike not going to leave her, Rarity had to do something.

She heard a chime going off in her little purse. Rarity dug into her purse and then pulled out her phone. "Oh," It was a notification of a new Shadow Spade novel pop up. "Oooh!" She giggled before looking at the cover. It was Shadow Spade in a dark alleyway, there were three goons stalking behind her, intended to take her. " _Midnight Sorority_ ," Rarity read the title before reading the summary. "In the middle of working on a case to finally put Dr. Morgone away, she gets captured by three mysterious ponies. Can Shadow Spade get out of this mess?" She raised a brow.

"Well...that's an...interesting piece…" Rarity did a quick skim through the e-book and her brows risen higher and higher. "Oh...oh dear this is…"

And idea come into her mind. She made a sinister smile, liking the idea.

Rarity then heard some laughing coming from the bottom deck. She walked over to the railing and looked down and saw three stallions causing some misfit below with the booze they raised from the bar.

"Oh boys!" Rarity called out to them. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" She asks as she raced down the steps.

The leader of the three turned around..

It was Bouncer….


	8. Day six part one

Morning light peeked through the porthole, shining light right in Spike's eyes. Spike growled softly and shifted slightly. His arms tightening to what he thought it was a pillow.

But pillows don't let out moans or smell sweet.

Spike opened one dreary eye to see who or what was in his bed. Seeing the curved line of her neck, shoulders and the outline of her hips from the soft blanket, Rachel lay next to him asleep.

That's right, Rachel spent the night with him last night. Last night's dinner with the captain was just fucked up. That's all there is to it. They ended up back here and talked, ending up falling asleep.

He smiled softly. He looked to the back of Rachel's neck. He could see the faint bruise on it. Where he nipped at her at the pool. Spike chuckled softly before pressing his lips against her neck.

Spike didn't want to move. He didn't want to get up and have Rachel move. Last night was innocent. There were so many opportunities for them to rumble around the bed but both of them instead all that, they talked and ended up falling asleep in their arms.

He sighed softly before kissing her shoulders. "Rachel," he called her softly. "It's time wake up."

"I've been awake you dork." Rachel said quickly in response.

Spike chuckled. "How long have you been up?" he asked her.

"An hour or so I think." Rachel said, turning to look at him over her shoulders and smiled. From what Spike could tell, she had her phone at hand. "Can you let me go? I really need pee, like right now."

"Whoops!" Spike chuckled before releasing her.

Rachel rolled out of the bed, setting the phone on the bed and giggled.

"I'll be right back." She said before rushing over to the bathroom and disappeared inside.

Spike chuckled softly, shaking his head. He sat up before reaching up to his neck and pulled the tie off of him.

He hears a chime going off from the phone. Spike curiously looked at her phone. There was a pixelated pegasus dancing around on the screen. In big wordings said tap me in the center of it.

"Hmm," Spike said. It looked like a game. He pulled out his phone and compared it. It was the same - though he recently had a shimmery scaley design on the back of it while her's just had paint splattered about it. "You can play games on this thing?" He mutters, putting his phone down and picking up Rachel's.

"The things humans can create…" He murmurs before pressing the tap button. The tiny little pegasus appeared on the ground. There were apple trees and large clouds in it and a very narrow space in between for the pony to pass through.

There was a brief tutorial on how to pay the game. "Tap of the screen to make the pony jump. Jump through the gaps and get the highest score.

Spike saw that the highest score was 193 feet.

He tapped the screen once. The pony jumped but instead of continuing to fly, it fell straight down and crashed just meters from the first tree. The lights flashed and said it died before it automatically restarted to the beginning.

Spike clicked his teeth before he began the game again. He tapped the screen again and the pony flew. He taps it again and it continued to stay afloat. He managed to hurl the pony over the tree but once it touched the cloud, the screen flashed again saying that it died before restart again.

Narrowing his eyes, Spike hovers over the phone and started the game up again. And each time he died, the more agitated he became. He tapped, tapped, and tapped as much as he could. Hurling over the tree tops, ducking extremely low clouds.

Spike got to ten taps in before he died again. He tries again and again while playing the game and each time he died, the more in rage he was towards this stupid game

He gets to the point where he was so pissed off by the game, he rage quits, chunking the phone across the room and hits the wall…

And shatters it.

Spike gasped loudly. Remembering that it wasn't his phone he was playing on, but it was Rachel's!

"What was that?" Rachel called out from the bathroom.

Spike whimpers before hopping off the bed and got to the shattered phone. He picked it up and groans. The screen was cracked all to hell, the screen flashed the dead flappy pegasus before it ultimately went black. He turns around and saw Rachel walking towards him.

All he could do was turn around and show the dead phone to Rachel. His ears drooped, wings and shoulders sagged, tail between his legs and gave the saddest puppy look ever.

"I am so sorry…" He whimpers.

Rachel stared at him for a moment. Going from him, to her busted phone, and back to him again and again. "Flappy Pony?" she asked him.

He nods.

She walked over to him, grabbed the phone from him. She barely put any effort into taking the back out. The insides looked like hell. She pulled out this tiny sms card from it. Rachel then walked back over to the bed. Going into her purse, she dug in it for a moment before pulling out a second phone, pops the back out of it. She inserts the sms card inside, putting that phone back together and turn it on.

The phone lit up, giving it a moment to boot up. Then, her screensaver of a painting came to be with all of her apps.

"Do you...always carry a spare phone?" Spike asked.

Rachel nodded. "I rage quit with these games all the time. As long as the SMS card is intact and not damaged, I can simply transfer it to another phone. All of my contacts, my numbers, all remain the same in their new home."

Spike scratched the back of his head. "So… you're not mad at me?"

Rachel shrugged. "Not really, I rage quit all the time. I spend a lot of money replacing my phone. As long as the card isn't damaged, no loss cause." She said before making a beeline to his bag. "Though, there are repercussions now."

"Um…." Spike raised a brow as he watched Rachel going through his clothes. "What are you doing?"

"You broke a phone, I'm gonna take a shirt of yours." She giggled.

He chuckled, shaking his head at her as she dug in. "they are all too big for you."

"Don't care, I'll wear it as a nightgown if I have to." Rachel said before pulling out the dinosaur shirt Pinkie bought him years ago. "This is cute." She smirked before throwing it over her slept-in cocktail dress and hugged herself. The large shirt came down to her calves! "It is mine."

Spike snickered, seeing her in that shirt. "Go knock your socks off. It's yours."

She smiled. "Yus, yus it is."

The two chuckled before she spoke again. "I'm gonna head out, I'll be needing a shower."

Spike sniffed. "You still smell nice." he commented.

"I smell like morning dragon BO." she giggled.

Spike raised a brow. He then sniffed his pit and his face turned green. "Oh yuck, I do stink."

Rachel chuckled. "Well, twenty minute shower then meet up for breakfast?" she asked him.

Spike nodded, liking the idea before he chuckled. "There's a shower here, why don't you use that?"

"I don't have my clothes." She replied.

"You just swiped my shirt, wear that."

Rachel smirked. "And I'm guessing you would like to join in the shower?"

"Saves the waiting," He grinned, walking over to her. He put his hands on her waist gently, leaning in and went for giving her a kiss.

Rachel stopped that by putting her hand on his lips. Spike flung his eyes open. "Huh?"

"You think it was gonna be that easy?" Rachel smirked. "As very, very tempting it is to take that offer, I need to get my clothes."

Spike frowned, giving her the puppy look. "Really?"

"As tempting, tempting, _tempting_ -" She stretched that last word. "- as it really is, we got some company."

Spike raised a brow. "Huh?"

Rachel pulled away from Spike and walked over to the door. Without saying a word, she grabbed the door knob and pulled the door open wide.

Twilight, Starlight, Fluttershy, RD, AJ, and Pinkie Pie collapsed onto the floor. One of them holding a huge muffin with the number 23 purple and green candle burning.

Spike made a look, his scales heating up and steam started coming from his shoulders. "REALLY?!" Spike snapped at them.

The girls gave him a nervous smile - Pinkie giving him a sly smile like she's saying "you got some last night didn't cha", while all of them got to their feet.

"H-Happy birthday...Spike." Twilight said first. "W-we didn't know that she-Rachel was here…."

Rachel giggled at their reactions before looking at Spike. "Okay big guy, they didn't know I was with you. Cool your jets." She said.

And suddenly he was able to reel back that brief anger and sighed heavily. "Damn you girls…" He muttered harshly under his breath.

But his mood was perked up when Rachel walked back over to him, stood on her tiptoes of her heels and kissed him sweetly on his lips. Spike's hands automatically wrapped her waist and brought her closer to him. Ignoring the snickers coming from his friends.

Rachel pulled her head back and looked deeply into his emerald eyes. "Happy birthday, Spike." She mutters softly. And as much she could, she got to his ears and whispered what was probably in the most sexyist husky voice coming from her. " _And tonight, I can give you your birthday presents_. _Finish what we started in the pool?_ ""

Both his pants tightened up instantly and his wings shot up at the same exact time. Spike let a groan. If he hasn't had this morning wood yet, he definitely has it now!

Rachel giggled seductively, tapping his nose. "Later, babe" she said before pulling away and walked over to the girls. "C'mon guys, he'll meet up with-" Spike instantly disappeared when Rachel moved and the bathroom door slams shut. "-us later." She giggled as soon as she heard the shower turned on.

Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie snickered. Fluttershy blushes and Starlight and Twilight both looked like they weren't paying attention to the two interactions.

"Okay mares, unless you guys are in heat, buck off." Rachel laughs, shaking her head. "I'll meet ya'll at breakfast."

" _Damnit Rachel!"_ Spike's voice groans from the bathroom.

Everypony but fluttershy busted out laughing.

"You got your hands full tonight." Dash giggled, her face fully red.

" _Q-quit laughing, all of you. Just-just!_ " Spike whines from the bathroom

"Hey!" Pinkie stops first, finally seeing the dinosaur shirt on her. "That's Spike's, what are you doing with it?"

Rachel, still laughing, walks past them. "I'm stealing it, it's mine now." She giggled breathlessly. She turns to the bathroom door and calls out to him. "I'll see you in a bit, babe!" She told him before leaving the room.

Pinkie quickly raced to the bed, placed the birthday muffin on the mattress and took off after with the girls, closing the door behind her.

After basically drowning himself in a cold, cold shower - and ordering about fifteen buckets of ice to bathe in, Spike got dressed in his usual t-shirt, jeans, and jacket combo.

He felt something in the pocket of his jacket. He dug through it and pulled out the shiny purple heart necklace. Spike sighed happily, remembering Rachel winning it for him the other day. With a smile, the dragon put the pendent on and hummed.

Spike made it official, he's never gonna take it off.

With that out of the way, he grabbed his birthday muffin, blew out the candle and ate the muffin. He was really hungry.

Spike hums the song "Happy birthday to me" as he took his leave. He came to the restaurant area and suddenly balloons and confetti shot up in the air.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPIKE!" Everyone of his friends shouted in unison. All of the girls cheered and jumped in joy.

On the table were all of his favorite foods, all of them gem encrusted for him to enjoy, and of course the foods the girls could eat.

And he meant all the girls. Even Rarity was there….

Next to Rachel, who was still wearing his shirt but she had it tied up so it wasn't touching her calves, having it almost like a halter top with a really long tail. Her hair had purple streaks in it and wore her beanie, shorts and sneakers.

Rarity looks like she's trying her best not to step away from her, trying to play nice since it's Spike's birthday.

And on another table were presents for him. Seven of them he could tell it's from each of the girls, a poorly wrapped and burnt one from Ember and very pretty one from Thorax. He could tell one was from Discord and a couple from Celestia and Luna.

"Guys, thank you!" Spike chuckled, pushing them stalking his door away - no pretty much punting that moment over the railing.

His friends ran up to him and all gave him a big hug. Spike managed to get his hands around all of them, his tail wrapping them before lifting all of them in the air and hugged them. They all squealed.

Rachel took out her new phone and started taking photos of them and chuckled. "Happy birthday, big guy."

After Spike stuffed his face in the food, he opened his presents. Letting his greed take over just a smidge when it comes to his birthday and Hearth's Warming presents.

Twilight: Books (No surprises there)

Starlight: Skullen Fangs concert tickets and backstage passes in Manehattan, two of them (He knows who he'll take)

Fluttershy: a sweater her little spider friends waived for her (kinda creepy but it's the thought that counts)

AJ: cowboy hat (He looks fucking sexy in it, if he doesn't say so himself)

Pinkie Pie: His own party cannon (he has no idea what he'll use it for but he'll make some use for it)

RD: Tickets to the next Wonderbolt show (Doesn't he already free passes since he's friends with her? Nice thought though)

Rarity: a fancy gem encrusted suit (just looking at the suit was making him hungry...he'll might eat it)

Discord: a blank voodoo doll with instructions on how to use it (Spike may know who)

Ember: a shield with the Dragon Lands Emblem on it (Sweet!)

Thorax: a nice flower arrangement with tiny figurines of him and Thorax high fiving each other (that is very cute)

Celestia: An apology for the pool incident and tickets to the Up and Coming Grand Galloping Gala (that's nice of her.)

Luna: a dagger with a crescent moon on the guard (AWESOME! If it wasn't for Twilight taking it away from him immediately 'cause it's illegal to take any weapons to the zeppelin)

"Oh man, these presents are awesome!" Spike said honestly. "Thank you all so, so much!" He was happy at all of his gifts.

"I'm glad you're liking em, buddy." Rainbow Dash grinned.

Fluttershy looked at the open presents and noticed one of them was missing and looked at Rachel. "Where's your gift?" She asked him.

"She didn't have time to get him a gift probably." Rarity mutters under her breath. "They haven't been dating even for a week…"

Rachel glared at Rarity before looking at Flutters and smirked. "I'm gonna give it to him tonight. I have to do some last finishing touches. And trust me, it's gonna be amazing."

"I'm sure I'll love it either way." Spike smiled.

Rachel smiled back.

They all enjoyed their breakfast, changed into their bathing suits and all set out to the pool. Music was play loudly, streamers and balloons were decorated around the deck. Other ponies and even the human servers were having fun.

Rarity hung back a bit. Not that she wanted to join the fun, she sat in her lounge chair with a clipboard at hand. Looking at a checklist for the fashion show tonight. Making sure everything she has done.

A shadow was then blocking her light. She looked up and grimaced.

It was Rachel, dressed in her black bikini and holding two glasses of her Iron Will Special drinks. "Mind if I sit next to you?" She asked her.

Rarity rolled her eyes before looking back at her checklist.

Rachel sighed before taking a seat next to her. "I'll take that as a yes." She then said before offering her second glass to the mare. "Peace offering?"

"What do you want?" Rarity asked her. With what she's planned for her, Rarity was all ready for her.

Spikey will be hers, one way or another. And since he won't dump her, she'll have Rachel dump him. Even if she'd have to do it by force. Rarity hopes those boys were ready by her mark.

Rachel scuffed. "I'm offering you a drink. Free of charge.'

Rarity stood at her for a moment before grabbing the glass and took a sip. She froze after the first dip went down her gullet. It was…"this is heavenly, darling!" Rarity giggled and starts drinking itl

"Nonono!" Rachel tried to stop her but Rarity drank most of the drink. "Oh your stomach is not gonna be your best friend later." She groaned.

"What do you mean? Its a virgin. It won't make me sick." Rarity said. "This is amazing! I didn't know the liner makes these."

"They didn't. I made them." Rachel sighed. "Rarity, I made these drinks for all beings, ponies included. You're suppose to drink it in sips, not in one setting." She said, taking a sip of her drink.

"I know, I can handle my liquor, even this kind." She said before realizing that she was having a nice conversation and grunted. "This doesn't change the fact that you are wrong for Spike."

Rachel chuckled, shaking her head. "Rarity, you sound like a broken record player. You are not in his good graces. If you keep this up, he won't even be your friend."

Rarity huffed. "He's mine."

"I'm trying to do what I preached to Spike last night. Throw me a bone will ya?"

Rarity raised her brows at that. "And what is that?"

"Giving us a chance to mend fences and be good friends." Rachel said. "It was one of the things we talked about last night."

"You two...talked about me?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. After we got done blowing steam and vent out what a bitch you were being for the past few days, we talked about you. It seems you and I have a few things in common."

"I highly doubt it. I'm a fashion designer, your a painter."

"But both artists." Rachel said. "Rarity, when I heard you were opening a store in Filly, I was gonna apply for a part time job."

Rarity laughed, drinking the rest of her drink. "You don't know a thing about fashion."

Rachel reached over and grabbed the clipboard and pencil from her.

"Hey!" Rarity growled.

Rachel turned the list over and starts drawing. "I may not be very skilled with a sewing machine," she said after a moment of drawing before handing it over to the mare. "But I do know how to draw. That's how all clothes start out, right?"

Rarity glared at Rachel before looking at the drawing. Her eyes widened at it. The dress was simple, it hugged the hips but it flairs out, showing off the legs. The hips had this nice looking scaley design with a heart shaped neckline.

"My...you did this?" Rarity asked, looking closely at it. "I haven't even met ponies that can draw as fast as you can."

"It's called practice. I draw clothes on some of my pieces all the time. Either it's from reading comic books, inspired by novels I've read or by seeing my surroundings." Rachel said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "I've always wanted to expand my artistic talents. I know I'm a great painter, but the reason why I wanted to get a part-time job from her was to see if I can't push past my limits."

"The design, simple but it's gorgeous." Rarity said, turning to Rachel, seeing her smile. The mare grimace. "How is it that I'm trying to despise you but you are being so likeable?"

Rachel shrugged. "I'm just am. I get that alot since I came here." She then sighed softly before turning towards the pool.

Spike was in the pool with the other girls, he was laughing and playing some sort of water game with the other girls.

He turns to see Rachel and waves at her.

Rachel chuckled, blowing him a kiss. Spike makes a reach for it before Pinkie Pie tackles him down in the water.

"PINKIE!" He shouted.

"Sorry! I should've said cannon ball!" Pinkie laughed.

Rachel and Rarity giggled at that at the same time.

"Pinkie is a funny pony." Rarity said, watching the pink mare.

"I can't argue with that." Rachel replied.

Rarity giggled before looking right at Rachel before a realization hit her hard.

She...and Rachel….were bonding!

Rachel then sighed, looking back at the mare. "Rarity, what do you see with Spike?" she asked her.

"Huh?" Rarity raised a brow.

"Take a look at Spike," Rachel told her, "what do you see of him?"

Rarity turns to the dragon and grunted. "My baby dragon Spikey Wikey."

Rachel shook her head. "That's just it, Spike's not a baby. He is in your eyes but he isn't a hatchling."

"And your point?"

"Think back to the years of him and compare him now. Do you see the difference in him?"

Rarity rolled her eyes before looking towards Spike. She watched him having fun in the pool. She watched Spike, taking a gander of his muscles shining in the sunlight. His green eyes were shining brightly and there was the biggest smile on his face.

She thinks back to Spike when he was the little chubby baby dragon. He was ten in pony years when they met. The Sunrise preparations before Nightmare Moon came. He was happy, smiling…

But comparing from that Spike to now...she saw the difference. She spent so many times not seeing it until now.

Spike was in love, the smile on his face was bright, beautiful. He was extremely happy…

But not towards her, but to the girl next to her.

"Oh gosh…" Rarity muttered softly.

Rachel smiled at that. "See it? See how happy the big guy is? Do you really want to ruin that?"

"Hey Rachel, join in!" Rainbow Dash called out. "We need one more pony filling in. Water Volleyball!"

The girls turned to the pool and saw the gang. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike and Starlight vs Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight getting ready to play, with only a flimsy net separating them.

"Oh I'm game." Rachel grinned before taking one more sip of her drink before putting it down and went to get up before Rarity grabbed her arm.

"Wait." She told her.

Rachel looked to the mare and raised a brow. "Hmm?"

"Rachel….would you like to….attend to the fashion show tonight?" Rarity asked her. "A sign of a new leaf turn?"

Rachel waited for a moment, letting those words sink in before smiling softly. "I would love that."

Rarity smiled before letting her go and see Rachel going off to the others. She then sighed softly before grabbing her phone. She goes to down the list to Bouncer's number. Rarity glanced quickly at the game before texting the pony.

 _Deal's off Darlings, so sorry._ She texted him, removing his number and blocking it as soon as she sent it and set the phone back down.

* * *

Later that evening - after enjoying dinner and cake, everyone came to the ballroom area, a stage was set and the everypony was gearing up for the show.

The girls and Spike got a good front row seat of the even and more and more viewers came to see the show.

Spike didn't want to spend an evening watching ponies model in clothes that look rather tacky, but it was Rachel who convinced him to go. All day, Spike had noticed a change in Rarity. Rarity throughout the day wasn't giving hateful glares to Rachel, judging the two's action and was being generally nice.

He guessed the talk she and his girlfriend had worked and Rarity took it to heart. All of more reason why Rachel is amazing.

As Rachel sat next to him, she realized the she could barely see the stage, even if she was the size of a teenager filly. Spike grinned at her before grabbing her by her waist and hauled her up to his lap where she was able to get a better view.

"Better?" He asked Rachel with a smile.

Rachel grunts. "You know, I so hate being manhandled by magic and others due to my size?" She then broke down to a big grin before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissed his snout. "But with you, i'll make an exception."

Twilight and the other their interaction before the show started.

" _Fillies and Colts, put your hands together for this year's first annual Summer Fashion show!"_

Everyone cheered as the show began. There were three other ponies who were showing off their fashion. All of their work were cute, stylish, all of them go perfectly with the season and things to do with the zeppelin.

Rachel was paying attention, getting an itch to draw based on the outfits, they were amazing to see. Spike watched as well, he did like what he saw but he was too busy making sure his girl was having a good time.

That's all he cared about.

Then, as soon as the other three ponies stepped out, Rachel tapped on his shoulder. "I need to use the bathroom."

"Rarity's about to come on." Spike said. "YOu'll miss it."

"I'll be right back. I did drink all that 48 ounce of soda earlier." Rachel giggled. "I'll be quick."

Spike chuckled before letting Rachel go. She quickly slip past the crowd and made her way to the restroom.

" _Now our last line, Miss Rarity!_ " The announcer announced before music began playing, the lights dimmed and fog began to come out from the curtains.

[embed] watch?v=6C7D5Tr5Sj0[/embed]

Rarity began singing as her models strutted out. Though Spike did refused to be in the show, he still thought the clothes she made were tacky…. But he did smile because Rarity was doing something she loves.

Today made him realized, after seeing Rachel and Rarity hang out and nothing bad happened between them, he should try and forgive Rarity.

Yeah, she did hurt his heart and tried to split him and Rachel up, but he saw that she was trying to let them be. If Rachel could find a way to forgive her after she brought about her late child...then he could do the same.

After all, Rarity was his friend.

As the show continued, Rarity came out, of course, she outshine all of her models. Her dress was silk, the colors were smashing, all pale orange and blues. The Goddess style fabric was free flowing, her long white legs and gladiator style shoes were on spot for continued to sing her song which was the topping of the cake.

Spike turned over his shoulder, Rachel was gone for a long long time. "She must have a large bladder…"

"She did drink a rather large soda." Pinkie pie said with a giggle. She then turned to the stage and made a sound. "Hey, aren't those her friends on the scaffold?"

"Huh?" Spike looked up to where Pinkie Pie was talking about and gasped softly. He saw Ruby and Gem up on the scaffold. In their hands were cans - and judging by the strong scent, it was paint.

"What tha?" Spike sat up. He gotten a bad feeling about this.

"And this, Fillies and Gentlecolts, is what fashion is all about!" Rarity announced, striking a pose, not paying attention to the twins.

The twin cackled at each other. Spike let out a growl before shooting up into the air to race for the girls before it's too late.

And it was. The twins let out a shout when they saw him coming, Gemcity quickly knocked one of the cans over the railing and it fell.

Spilling the contents all over the models, the stage and Rarity in black onyx paint.

The can then bonks Rarity in the head, causing her to scream and collapsed to the floor.

Everypony gasped loudly. Then all of them but Rarity's friends pulled their phones and started taking photos.

Twilight and others jumped up and went to their crying friend.

Spike snarled, turning to the twins, but they were long gone.

Then…

"This ship do need more bathrooms. A line in all if~" Rachel sighed as she walked in before seeing the scene and froze. "What the fuck did I miss?"

Rarity cried loudly. Her friends pulling the can off her head. There was blood in mixed of the black paint. She opened her eyes and saw Rachel. Both she and Spike were seeing red.

"I knew it" Rarity called out. "You did this to me!" She snapped at the human.

"What?!" Rachel surprisingly said. "I was in the restroom. What happened?!"

Spike lands in front of her. He was beyond pissed. Having his heart broken is one thing, but assaulting his friends is entirely different.

And his target' Rachel.

"Your friends just assaulted Rarity." He growled at her. As if she was the one who do it.

The look on Rachel's face however was different. It was generally full of shock and hurt. "They did what?!"

"She must've orchestrated this! Her friends threatened me yesterday! And look me!?" Rarity screamed through her barrage of tears.

Spike slowly stalks Rachel. The human backs away from his advances.

"I had nothing to do with it!" Rachel pleads her innocence. "I never told them to do anything! Spike, I swear, I didn't tell them to do it! Please you have to believe me!"

"Why should I?!" Spike snapped. "Why should I be with someone who hurt the ones I love the most?!" The look at Spike's face...it made her fell to her knees. Tears in her eyes.

"Spike...I didn't.."

"Let's get Rarity out of here." Twilight said as the girls helped Rarity up. The ponies and their camera phones recording everything. "C'mon spike."

Spike grunted before giving rachel one last disgusted look before he followed his friends out.

Rachel covered her eyes with her hands and began to cry.

* * *

"The show was a disaster!" Rarity cries out from her bathroom. "I'm a laughing stalk out there!" Though Spike was outside, sitting on the bed, he was there for her while Starlight and the other girls were in there for Rarity.

"It's not a whole lot of ponies out there, it won't be bad." Spike said, though his mind was in a million places right then.

"Ponies now have those camera phones those horrid humans gave to them-hem!" Rarity screamed in tears.

"Yeah, the video has like a million hits already." Pinkie's voice carried through the walls.

"QUIT HELPING!"

Spike felt absolutely awful about this. Feeling completely helpless, he hated it. He felt betrayed. Spike could see where Rarity came from about humans, how horrible and how uncaring, lying assholes they are.

" _Spike, I swear, I didn't tell them to do it! Please you have to believe me"_ Rachel's words rang through his ears.

He was having a battle within himself. In Spike's mind, he wanted to forget her, to stay mad at Rachel and stick to what he was comfortable with the ponies he knew and staying away from the humans because he saw who they truly are. Though…

In his heart… His heart ached for Rachel. Spike had quickly fallen for the girl. He could tell she fell for him too. The secrets the two shared with one another. His fingers fumbled about the pendant on his neck. Spike felt more alive with Rachel than with any of his friends. She was funny, quirky, jumps in head first without thinking, brave, has a temper he swore rivals a dragon and he loved that. Spike loves Rachel.

Spike needed to get this sorted out. Hear her side of the story, talk to the twins and ask them straight up why. Two sides to every story right?

"Hey Spike?" Twilight's voice carried out from Rarity's wailing.

"Yeah?" Spike murmurs.

"Could you get some ice cream for Rarity?" Twilight asked him.

"Mint chocolate chip please?" Rarity chimed through her sobs.

"Sure." Spike said, crawling out of bed. "I'll be back." He says before walking out of the room.

Once he was gone, the girls escorted Rarity out of the bathroom in her silk robe to the bed.

"I'm ruined!" Rarity cries.

"Is there anything you want us to do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Just leave me to wallow in my misery!" Rarity wailed. "I want to be alone now! Leave mee-heee!"

"If you need anything, we'll be outside then…" Fluttershy said softly before she and the girls walked out.

Rarity cries heavily. "My reputation...gone!" She rubbed where the paint can hit her head. The bandage was promident. It'll be a long time before she could show her face outside again.

Or until the cut and the bruise fades away. To her, she was ruined!

Then, she thought of Rachel. Rarity was actually going to back out of setting her up! She saw how Spike was truly happy around her and was going to let them be…

But her _friends_ ruined the fashion show, ruined her reputation in the fashion world! It's the principle of the thing.

Rarity looked to the bed, she saw a phone sitting on the edge. She recognized the scaley designs that it was Spike's. He must've accidently left it while he left to get her ice cream.

[hr]

Rachel storms into the twin's cabin, kicking the locked door open, breaking it at the process. "GEM, RUBE!"

The twins and their evening meals jumped out bed, showing off their delicious glory and all.

"What the hell?!" Ruby shouted at Rachel.

The girl glared at the stallions. "You two, fuck off, now!" She pointed at them. "NOW!"

The stallions didn't have to be told twice. The mood over as soon as they saw the look of blood coming from Rachel. They gathered their clothes and flew the coop.

"What the heck, Rach? We were in the middle of-" Before Gemcity could finished, Rachel threw something at her. The sexling eeped before jumping out of the way.

"You two fuck bugs ruined everything!" Rachel shouted at them. Both Ruby and Gemcity never saw Rachel this mad before. They've seen her share of temper tantrums flaring up…

But this…

"Now let us explain," Ruby started, her twin moving towards her, hiding behind her as a shield, "we're sorry for what happened at the show, we wer-"

" _Sorry?_ You two are sorry for hurting one of the Elements of Harmony? Sorry for making me like i'm the ringleader of the whole orchestra? Making Spike think that I had something to do to it?!" Rachel chewed them out. It was clear that it was taking all she could not to physically harm the twins.

The look Spike gave her. She felt as if her heart was shattered. Though Rarity had been a major bitch, things were working out! She and Rarity were talking, she was going back off on them. They had a truce.

Now… Spike went back to her. All because the twins didn't know when to back the fuck off! Spike's eyes… that anger when he snapped at her, accusing of hurting one of his friends.

"Spike praised those girls," Rachel trembled. "He talks about them all alot. Even about Rarity. No matter how much his heart hurts talking about her, he still praise her. She is his friend. I was handling it, I told you both to leave her alone!"

"We were trying to protect you." Ruby said loudly. "That's what we've been trying for years. To protect you to make sure you don't get hurt by yourself or by other beings. Rarity had to be taught a lesson."

"That wasn't your fucking call!" Rachel hissed.

"It was just a prank." Gem said.

"You threw the can on her head. Didn't you two saw the cut? That's physical assault on her!" Rachel balled her fists, tears streaming down her face. "Now… because of you both, I just lost my boyfriend. I lost my Spike!"

A Skullen Fang ringtone rang out from Rachel's pocket. It was the song Spike sang the other day. She quickly dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Spike had sent a text message.

 _[color=#2caf26]We need to talk[/color]_

Rachel gasped softly. She quickly responded to him.

 _[color=#265daf]We do. Where?[/color]_

 _[color=#2caf26]Boiler room, 1 hour[/color]_

 _[color=#265daf]Okay, I'll see U soon. I'm so sorry.[/color]_

When Spike didn't respond, Rachel then looked up from the phone and glared at the twins "I'm going to meet Spike in the boiler room. I'll be back soon." She said before leaving the room.

[hr]

Rarity finished the text before tossing the phone back on the bed.

Just as she did, Spike came into the room, he had a thing of ice cream for her in his hands. "Mint chocolate chip, here you go." He said as he came by her bed and hands it over to her.

"Thank you Spikey wikey." Rarity said, grabbing the ice cream and took a bite out of it. "You are such a dear."

Spike nodded. "Are..are you okay for now?" he asked her.

"I just want this night to be over with." Rarity sighed heavily.

"We'll be home in the morning. We'll be back in Ponyville before you know it."

Rarity puts the ice cream to the side before getting on her knees and gave the dragon a hug. Which he hugged her back. "I do care for you, Spike. Don't you forget that, darling."

"I know you do." Spike said with a sigh before pulling away from her. "I'll let you rest." He said before walking off. He stopped when he saw his phone. "Hey, I've been looking for it." Spike said, grabbing the phone.

"Right where you left it." She said, sitting back and getting the ice cream. "I'll talk to you later, love."

Spike stashed his phone back into his pocket and walked out.

He sighed softly. This wasn't right.

With a grunt, Spike turns and makes his way to the upper cabins.


	9. Day Six: Part Two

Rachel made her way down to the boiler room about fifteen minutes early and took a deep breath when she stopped at the door. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Taking further deep breaths, Rachel proceeded to open the door and ventured down the stairs.

The door behind her slammed shut unexpectedly, causing her to jump. "That didn't happen last time…" she muttered softly. Rachel grunted before going to the door and tried to open it again; however, this time it didn't

"Okay...door won't open...that is a pure sign that I need to get the fuck out," Rachel said to herself.

Rachel then had an idea to go and call the twins to get them to open the door. She pulled out her cellphone and goes to call them up. Pressing the phone up to her ear, she hears a flatline noise and hissed. "Again, another sign to get out." She then started banging on the door. "Hello? Can anyone hear me? The door is stuck and I can't get out." She called out.

But after a few minutes of silence, no one could hear her.

"Not good too…"

Door closes all of the sudden, no one hears Rachel, and now no cell signal. This was freaking her out.

A loud clutter caused her to jump and shout. "Whoa!" She looked over her shoulder and gazed down the dark stairwell. "Hello?" Rachel then started to hear a eerie hum. "Okay, time to get the fuck out." She tries to open the door but then quickly reminded that the door was glued shut. "Fucking hell…" she groaned. "I'm stuck in a horror flick...so cliche…" Rachel sighed. She turned on the flashlight on her phone and peered down the stairwell. "Okay, do the dumb blonde bit and investigate the creepy noises...or stay up here and be eaten by zombies….Okay, no more staying up late to watch scary movies...and I need to stop talking to myself and move."

And with that, she moved down the stairs, using the light on her phone to light the way.

She got to the bottom, the area was lit up by the furnace. Rachel saw a dark figure standing in front of the fire, humming softly.

"Spike?" Rachel called out for him, really hoping it was him….

And kinda not...more murdering girlfriend in a dark spooky basement slasher horror flick flashing in her- okay she really has a problem when this is the worst situation to a guy she really likes a lot.

Mental note: STOP WATCHING SCARY SLASHER MOVIES, RACHEL!

When she gotten closer, she noticed that the dark figure was shorter than Spike...and has pony ears and tail.

"Sorry babe, not him…" Bouncer reveals himself, turning around. "Though, it would be sweeter if that lizard was here."

Surprisingly, the burning furnace wasn't going out by how cold this just got.

Rachel immediately starts backing away when she felt arms wrapping around her waist and hoisted her up, causing her to drop the phone.

"HEY! LET ME GO!" Rachel screamed loudly, kicking the air freely.

"Wow, she's squirmy!" one of the goons, the Scrawny one, commented.

Bouncer chuckled softly. "Oh I've been waiting to do this for a while." he said, popping his knuckles.

"Just a sec." A new familiar voice came from the steps.

All of them looked up and horns lit up.

It was Rarity.

"Rarity!? What the fuck is going on?" Rachel snapped, struggling in the pony's grip.

"Hmm, let's just call it justice." Rarity said, glaring at Rachel as she walked down the steps.

"Justice? For what? I thought we were good on Spike?!"

Rarity pushed her hair aside and show off the bandaid on her head from the can hitting her. "We were...till your friends attacked me."

"But it wasn't my fault!" Rachel stated. "I didn't know they were going to do it. I told them to back off but they didn't listen apparently."

"You ruined my reputation! The videos and pictures taken were posted online! Everypony can now see that I'm the laughing stalk of the fashion world!" Rarity roared at her.

"I didn't!"

Rarity humphed. "Well, I did hire these nice gents who wanted their...pound of flesh, originally for Spike but now it's just personal with my fashion. Might as well get what I paid for." She turns to Bouncer. "You may continue."

Bouncer chuckled darkly before turning to Rachel, and roughly punched her right in the gut.

Rachel gasped, the wind knocking out of her and she slumped over, wheezing.

Bouncer chuckled softly as he leaned down, grabbing her chin and jerked her face up and was close to her face. "That was for the other day." He tells her before reaching over with his free hand and grabbing her hair and jerked it back.

She shouted and snarled, looking up at him.

"Give it to her more, I want a turn, Bounce." The Scrawny one cackled. The fat one agreed with a chuckle.

"Oh i plan on it!" He said shouted before the unicorn lets go of her face and his fist made it contact so hard, it knocked Rachel out of the Scrawny one's hold, knocking her to the ground. Her arm making contact with the shelf next to it.

Bouncer came over to her and starts kicking . His goons came around and started kicking her as well. Rachel had herself in a tight ball as they kick the crap out of her.

Rarity hummed softly, taking a seat on the stairwell and watched them. "So this what it feels like to be on this side...repulsive...but so...divine." she giggled darkly. She watched the pounding for a moment before her stomach started to ache funny. "Ooh, that's strange…" She muttered, hearing her tummy making strange noises and getting upset.

The drink Rachel made for her was coming back… and what was worst was the human tried to warn her about it.

Rarity groans before whistling loudly to the boys. "Alright, alright, let her up." She really needs to go, but she wants to stop and watch this...hopefully she could hold it in.

After one more swift kick to the side, Bouncer and his boys backed away. He turned to Rarity and growled. "What now?" Clearly, Bouncer was far from done with Rachel.

Rachel coughed loudly, her sides were were screaming in pain. But the pain was familiar to her and she knows how to move around it. She slowly got to her knees, using the shelf next to her to help her up. Her jaw was cut and bleeding from the punch. She turned to the shelf and eyes at it and saw a wrench. She looked back towards the furnace and saw a lever there next to it that said "Unless emergency, do not pull"

From when she came here yesterday, she remembered that they also used the boiler room for extra storage.

She spat some excess blood to the ground and glared at all of them.

"They won't touch you anymore, darling." Rarity told Rachel. "If you renounce your relationship from Spike and the girls and I never see you again, or else these boys will continue. And judging by darling Bouncer here, he wants some more."

Surprised to all of them, her response… Rachel started chuckling.

"Huh?" both Rarity and Bouncer said in unison.

"You guys…" Rachel said, looking at them with a smirk, a hand reaching over the shelf and grabbing the wrench.

She quickly swung the wrench at the fat pony. Slamming it on his foot, causing him to yell out in pain. She used the butt end and ramming it against the Scrawny one's balls. She stood up, surprising Bouncer and slammed the flat head of the wrench across his muzzle.

The fat one hopped around, no doubt his foot broken, the Scrawny one was on his knees, his hands over his crotch moaning and Bouncer was on the ground, rubbing his muzzle. Blood in his eyes.

Rarity jumped at Rachel's surprise attack, standing up and leaning against the railing.

Both she and Bouncer looked at Rachel.

"-have no idea who the fuck you're messing with!" Rachel shouted at them.

Spike had made his way to the upper cabins. He saw the twins outside of their room, the maintenance pony was examining the broken door. Rachel's scent, it was all over the place. She was just here.

"Oh shit." Gemcity commented, seeing Spike first approaching them.

Ruby straightened up and grunted, seeing him.

Spike took one look at the maintenance pony and he got the heck out of there. Intimidated by the purple dragon.

"We need to talk." Spike told them.

"Yeah...we do." Ruby said softly. Gem using her twin as a meat shield against him.

Spike was still mad, still angry for what happened. But right now, he was mad at the situation, mad at him. On the way up here, he recollected on what happened, going by scene by scene. He yelled at Rachel for something that it wasn't her fault…

Something her father would've done…. Damn he feels like a total ass…

"Why…?" Spike said simply. And that one tiny word was all it took.

"It was meant to be a harmless prank." Ruby said, standing to him. "Rachel had nothing to do with it."

"That mare of yours really stir us up when we spoke to her the other day." Gem said, rubbing her arm. "All we wanted to do was to protect our baby sister."

"We didn't exactly think things through...especially on the account you coming up and….scaring us…" Ruby said, remember the can knocking over.

Spike sighed, wanting to kick himself in the ass for doing that. "Yeah...both of us didn't think. Still...you two have to talk to Rarity and apologize."

Both of the twins looked at each other. "Wow...Rachel must've calmed your ass down." Gem said.

Spike then looked confused. "Uh, Rachel did what now?" He asked.

"Rachel? You texted her earlier saying you two need to talk." Ruby said.

Spike was baffled. "Text? What text?" he asked. The three of them looked at each other. Both of their eyes widened.

All three of them were duped.

"Where is she?" Spike asked loudly.

"You bitch!" Bouncer snarled, scrambling up on his his feet, his horn sparked it's usual cobalt blue. He engulfed Rachel in it, lifting her body into the air. She struggled before Bouncer threw her across room.

Rachel hit the back wall with a shout and fell to the ground, she lost the wrench along the way. She looked up and saw Bouncer and the Scrawny pony coming after her.

Gritting her teeth, she quickly got back up her feet and took off.

Bouncer quickly grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her arms with a humorless laugh. "Slippery, aren't ya!" He snarled.

Rachel snarled before she stomped his right hoof as hard with her shoe. Bouncer winced at the pain but not before she elbowed him painfully right in the gut and slipped away.

She sees the Scrawny goon running towards her; she then slides to the ground, her legs sweeping right under the pony's legs, knocking him unbalanced and collided somewhere else. As she got up, Bouncer tackles her back to the ground.

The two wrestled on the ground before Bouncer straddles on Rachel, he lifts his fist up and slams it down. Rachel managed to move her head to the side just in time as her attacker's fist collided with ground.

"Fuck!" Bouncer cursed loudly.

Rachel's hands extend out, feeling the ground to find something to use as a weapon. But when she didn't, she bundled up some dirt in her hands and threw it directly into the pony's eyes.

Bouncer shouted, his eyes watered and he shut them, trying to dig the dirt out. Rachel uses that as a distraction to throw her body weight around, rolling on top of him. Rachel balled her hands together and hits him hard across the muzzle.

Bouncer growled, his magic lit up and flung her across the room again.

Rachel let out a shout when she made contact with a pile of boxes stacked in a corner. They fell the same time she collapsed onto the floor. A few of the boxes came apart and scattered it's contents all along the floor and on her.

One of them being a bow and arrow - mostly likely left over from the last cruise judging the aging and the fact the arrow looked dull despite having its usual jagged teeth-like sides.

But Rachel didn't care. She grabbed the two items, she kneeled up before wincing in pain, wrapping an arm around her stomach. "Not fond of this pain coming back…"

She looks back up and saw the fat pony waddling up to her. If she had to guess if she had time to analyze this - he was going to crush her.

Taking deep breaths, she forced herself up to her feet and meet him head on. She took the bow and jabbed the end of it into the fat pony's stomach, hearing him shout before hearing Scrawny running up behind her.

Rachel whirls around with the bow, sliding it over the pony's neck, the string on the back of his neck. She held onto the handle part, pulling it back and lets go, it snapped back hard, hitting him squarely on the muzzle.

"Mother fucker!" Scrawny cried out before Rachel spun around and kicked him in the gut.

Bouncer comes after her just as she spun, grabbing hold of her right arm. He hits her shoulder with all of the force he could muster.

A loud popping sound and this sheer pain coursed through her body. She let out a scream before Bouncer punched Rachel squarely in the face. He busted her bottom lip before throwing her to the ground with his hands around her neck and began choking her.

Rachel gasped loudly, feeling the pony crushing her windpipe. She held the arrow in her hand. She quickly forced the arrow into his side.

Bouncer screamed loudly with the sudden piercing pain. He rolled off of her and held his now bleeding side.

"You cunt!" He snarled.

Rachel coughed haphazardly, her free hand went behind her head, reaching for her dislocated. She them made a reach for her other hand, she felt her shoulder popping back into place. She let out a scream following a sudden relief from pain.

"Mother fucker!" She cried out. "I certainly don't welcome this bitch of a pain-oh fuck!" She groaned loudly.

Rachel, as fast as she could, rolling up to her feet and then raced to the lever, her bad arm pinned to her chest.

Rarity couldn't believe what she was human girl...just took these gents on! "Just what are you?!" She called out, on the verge of actually crapping on herself. Both by fear and that drink coming back and biting her in the ass.

Rachel turns to Rarity just as she grabbed hold of the lever. "Just a girl using the bat signal." she said before pulling the lever down.

The whole ship started groaning, the machinery stopped…

And the whole zeppelin began falling.

Just as Spike asked the twins about the whereabouts of Rachel, the ship began falling. Him and the twins were flung to the wall.

Those who weren't so fortunate to have a wall, fell from the skies.

Twilight, Starlight, RD, Fluttershy and other pegasi grabbed those who do not have wings or have the spell to levitate and all of them holding up as much as they could as the ship plummet.

There was so much screaming from the passengers and the wind whistling in the air.

The zeppelin fell several thousand feet from the sky when all of the sudden the ship's machinery started to turn. The machines moaned and groaned before the ship starts back up. Halting the freefall.

"WHOA!" those who were stuck to the wall fell flat on the hallway.

The ship then was raisen back up to the correct height and started to make its way towards it's objective course.

The twins groaned in unison, peeling themselves up on the ground and looked at each other. "What the fuck was that?" they asked in unison.

Spike grunted, shaking his head before placing a hand on his snout, rubbing it. "I would I like to know."

Him and the twins collected themselves up on the ground and takes off to the main deck. The pegasi, Twilight and Starlight lowered to the ground with the non flyers.

"What the hell was that?!" Applejack shouted out loud as RD lowered her to the ground.

"The cruise ship fall a few thousand feet and it restarted itself back up." Pinkie pie giggled as Starlight put her and few dozen of the humans down.

Spike and the twins ran up to the girls. "Are you guys alright?" Spike asked them.

"We're fine, but that was super, duper scary!" Fluttershy whimpered. Angel Bunny clung to her arm for dear life. His life flashing before his tiny black eyes.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked him.

"Got a wicked crick in my neck but other than that, I'm fine." He then looked towards the crowd. Trying to find the one human in the crowd. Hoping she was okay.

"Do you see her?" Gemcity asked Ruby, both of them craning their necks up to find Rachel.

"No, I don't." Ruby groaned. Both of them were worried sick and it was easily shown on their faces.

Spike then turned towards the Captain and his First Mate. They both talked and going down the list of passengers, what they said got his blood going.

"What exactly happened?" Sea Sun asked his first mate.

"The- the emergency lever was turned on sir." the unicorn said, holding up the list of passengers in his hand. "It has a ten second kill switch before the ship restarts itself and put itself back on course."

"Good thing." The cap said, though is fearing that his butt is gonna get sued. "Do we have all passengers at present?"

The first mate shook his head. "Negative. We have all account but four. A Ms. Rarity, A-a Rachel Lockhart, Bouncer, Sticks and Bob. They are not all accounted for."

Bouncer…

At that moment, Spike thought that pony and his goons had taken Rachel and Rarity there to get to him… he and Bouncer have bad blood during this cruise… at that moment, that's what Spike figured.

Spike started snarling deeply before turning towards the twins. "Did Rach mentioned anything about where she'd be?"

"T-the boiler room. Spike, what's going on?" Ruby then asked.

"I don't know….but I'm gonna find out what." He said before taking off.

"Spike!" Twilight called out, flying right in front of him. "Spike, what's going on? Where are you going?"

"Twilight, find security, now, take them to the boiler room and they better be fucking fast." Spike hissed, pushing the princess aside and stormed away towards the room.

The security ponies better be fast….

Or else Spike is going to fucking kill Bouncer.

"Ow…." Rarity groans. She lifted her head up from the ground. She felt really, really sore all over. As if she actually fell off of something.

She then realized that she fell off of the railing of the steps. "That damned human could've killed us."

Rarity look up and saw a pair of converse right at her eyesight. She followed to where the shoes belonged to and froze in sight.

"Oh trust me, Raribitch, if I wanted to kill you, it won't be in a dusty old basement you stupid cunt." Rachel growled. She had a gash over her left eye from hitting her head sometime after pulling the lever. Blood seemed to pour over it, causing her eye to shut to block the blood. She still pinned her wounded arm to her chest, her shoulder was screaming in pain but it wasn't dislocated again.

Rarity yelped before scrambling up to her hooves, backing up to the stairwell. "S-stay away from me! Y-you're not even human!"

Rachel rolled her good eye from that comment. "I know how to handle myself, basic self defence. I'm not special." She stepped towards Rarity. "Rarity, listen to me, you haven't physically done anything towards me….yet. We can still get out of this as friends."

Rarity looked at her with a confused look. "What?"

Rachel took another step. "We'll say that Bouncer and his goons kidnapped up, Three against two, kinda unfair odds, especially with us being females. We can say we fought them off and pulled the lever to use for someone to come down to our rescue."

"Why are you saying all that?! I set them up for you!" Rarity shouted.

Another step Rachel took, she lifted up a good hand out to the mare.

"As fucked up as it sounds, I want to be your friend still. You haven't actually attacked me, Bouncer and his boys did. Not you. There is still a chance to redeem yourself. But if you do take a swing, one: it better be a fucking good one. Two: I will break your horn when you do take a swing - and trust me, I have done it before. It was actually during me breaking a bar fight up and I accidently snapped a unicorn's horn off, - ANYWAY! We can get out of this without anymore violence and bloodshed, We'll keep this to ourselves…"

Rarity didn't really understood this. Why would Rachel would want to be friends after all of this. "Are you insane?" She asked her.

Rachel shrugged. "Maybe, weird? Abso-fucking-lutely." She smiled softly, still holding her hand out. "Take my hand, Rarity...We can get out of here, together."

Rarity groans softly as she slowly got up to her hooves. Her heels clicked together and she helped herself up. She looked at the wounded girl and bit her lips. Even after everything… Rachel still wanted to be her friend…

Another realization hit her, this was what she and the other girls do with villians...forgiving them and giving them a second chance...like Rachel was…

The unicorn looked at her hand and looked back at the human. Her body shaken after whatever she just went through wore off. She looked at Rachel, thinking what she just said.

Just as she thought of what to do, Rachel was consumed in the cobalt blue aura. She looked at Rarity with wide eyes before she was flung to the ground.

Rarity let out a shout before seeing Bouncer rolled out, he straddled on top of Rachel and put his hands over her neck and squeezed hard.

Rachel tried to fight him off, even digging into the arrow in his side. Bouncer grunted loudly in pain but he didn't move. His eyes bloodshot and his adrenaline was all over the place. Bouncer tightened his grip on her.

She gasped and choked out, Rachel tried to hit Bouncer, do anything she could to try and get him off of her. But there was nothing. Bouncer choked her till her eyes rolled the back of her head and her hands hit the ground.

Bouncer lets go of her and sit up, breathing heavily. His horn was chipped from that her little stunt with the ship and it sparked mostly out of anger and pain.

Rarity whimpered, her hands to her chest as she inched over to them. Scrawny pony - Sticks - helped his fat friend over to them.

"Is...is she dead?" Rarity asked quietly, her heart beating out of her chest.

"No, she's alive...for now." Bouncer grunted, glaring down at the human girl underneath him.

"Bounce, we gotta go, Bob here can barely walk." Sticks told him. "I think his foot is broken."

"You're hurt too." Bob - fat pony - said to him.

Bouncer didn't say anything at that. Though his side was bleeding, he wasn't moving. He kept staring down at Rachel. There was something about her like this… something that was drawing him to her. His eyes lowered down, looking at her breasts.

Rarity coughed loudly to get his attention. "Bouncer, Darling, I think your services are no longer required." She said before meeting with Bouncer's glare. "N-now, I already deposited the bits into your account….L-let's get out of here, shall we?" Her voice shook with each syllable coming out of her mouth.

"Naw…" Bouncer said, his voice dark. "I'm not finished with this one yet.."

"What are you…" Rarity trailed off when she saw Bouncer began to rip the unconscious human's clothes.

"Dude, you can fuck the hairless ape later, we gotta go!" Sticks shouted at him. "Security will be here any moment now!"

"No one can get in. That door is magically shut. It always has been since this bitch here - " the unicorn in question glared at Rarity, "- shut the door. Quite a spell isn't it."

Judging by the tone of his voice… this wasn't his first time using this spell…

Rarity couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing this. She was appalled by this. "Bouncer, this is enough, please stop." Her voice grew louder.

But Bouncer didn't listen to her pleas and continued to grope Rachel, going lower to touch her other sacred parts.

Rarity shuddered in memory, her mind taken back to that human a year ago. She was in the same position as Rachel was… him all over her…

Gritting her teeth, Rarity ran over to Bouncer and tried to push him off of Rachel. "That's enough! I won't have it, you hear me!" She screamed at him.

"Fuck off!" Bouncer roughly pushes her back.

Rarity stumbles back, running into a pile of rubble. Rarity shook her head before looking up and saw Bouncer was proceeding his plan, ripping Rachel's shorts to try and get them off!

Rarity has to stop this. Her horn glowed - now returned to her vibrant blue - picks up an object, the wrench Rachel dropped earlier. She held the wrench in the air as she stood up.

"GET OFF OF HER!" Rarity shouted before using her magic and threw the wrench right at him with all of her might.

The wrench spun in the air before colliding into the stallion. Hitting him right on his horn.

Pegasi have their sensitive wings, unicorns have their sensitive horns. They can cause pleasure if used right...but hitting it as hard as Rarity did, causing it to crack.

Bouncer was knocked off of Rachel and was on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. His ears starts ringing. His horn where the wrench hit him had a nasty looking crack right where his horn was chipped. His magic sparked out of the crack.

The room became silent. Even the frightened rats in the boiler room was quiet.

Rarity ran over to Rachel and tried to shake her to wake up. "Darling, sweetie, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, please wake up, wake up!" Rarity frantically shook her shoulders Already, she regrets this decision. "Rachel, wake up, wake up!"

Rarity wasn't paying attention when Bouncer came back up. He grabbed her by her neck out of surprise and lifted her up.

Now Bouncer's attention was on the mare. "Now...you're next…" Bouncer hissed, seeing Rarity kicking and grabbing his hand, trying to have him let go but she felt her airways being crushed.

Just as Rarity was about to lose her consciousness, there was a sudden loud bang coming from the top of the stairs.

At first it made all of them jump. Bouncer drops Rarity as a second bang occured. Rarity fell to the ground, coughing haphazardly, holding her neck.

Bouncer, Sticks and Bob look right up at the stairwell. The metal door was turning molting red before it flew off its hinges, bouncing down the steps and then crashed somewhere in the boiler room.

A roar was heard from up above. Bouncer looked up to see what it was. A shadow charged towards him, a ball of fire shot straight towards him.

Bouncer gasped loudly before jumping out of the fire's path. The fire hit a pile of fallen debris and briefly ignited in a bright green brazier.

The source of it landed in front of the burning pile. Casting an eerie green shadow, Spike slowly stood tall, a deep predatorial growl came out of his snout.

Sticks and Bob yelp out of fright seeing the dragon. As fast as they could, they backed away from him.

Spike turned to the ground to see the girls and his eyes at Rachel. Seeing her in the state she was in. Her blood pouring from various places, bruises already taken form where it looked like she was repeatedly kicked, her clothes ripped. If it wasn't for Rarity draping herself over her body, Rachel's body would be utterly exposed.

Rarity whimpered loudly, her make-up was running down her face from crying, a hand over her neck.

Both girls had bruises around their necks… Spike growled loudly before turning towards Bouncer. Bouncer chuckled, wiping his mouth.

"Oh the party now starts." He laughs.

Spike wasn't in a party mood. His friend was hurt; the one he love lying in a bloody mess. Whatever leash he had to control his anger; the suppressed anger he had since this whole cruise, the times he snapped at Rarity was him holding back.

Whatever force that had held Spike back just disappeared. Spike's pupils shrunk to thin slits as he stared at Bouncer.

Bouncer chuckled, though Rachel had done a number on him. His side still bleeding from the arrow but he was confident and cocky enough to take on Spike.

Spike let out a roar before running off towards Bouncer and threw the first punch. His fist swung towards Bouncer's jaw.

Bouncer ducked down just in time before repeatedly punched the dragon's right side and cococked his face.

Spike stumbled back but was back in. All bets were off. He charged back, throwing punches left and right.

Bouncer tries deflect the blows but he was struck on his stomach, the chest, jaw. Spike wasn't giving the pony a chance to fight back.

Spike was out for blood and was determined to kill Bouncer. Repeatedly punching Bouncer's arrow wound. Making it much much worse.

Bouncer yelled out, blood drenched his shirt. He managed to duck down from the final blow before bring sharp blows to Spike's ribs. Bringing his left hoof down onto Spike's knee with a glass shattering kick.

Spike roared out in pain as he was brought to the ground. Bouncer uses that to throw an uppercut, sending Spike down to the ground.

Bouncer chuckled, seeing Spike slowly collecting himself off the ground. "This is much anticipated." He said, getting ready to use his magic on the dragon, intent of causing much pain. There was something in his eyes, he was enjoying this.

Spike snarled, feeling the twing of sulfur dancing along his tastebuds. He whipped towards Bouncer and without hesitation, opened his mouth and breathed out green flames at him. Shooting at him.

Bouncer shouted as he flung his arms up to protect himself. He was flung back by the blast, his arms horribly burned. He growled before he starts using his magic. It pained him due to the horrible crack on his horn but he choose to ignore the pain.

From what he could pick up from the debris in the boiler room and flung it at Spike with a shout.

Spike wraps his wings around him to use as a shield to protect him from most of the flying objects. Gritting his teeth when feeling his wings getting damaged. When there was no more being flung at him, he unfurls his wings and charged at the pony. His claws extended out.

Just as he was being tackled to the ground, Bouncer's hands found a rather sharp pointy object. When Spike pounced on him and goes to slash him, Bouncer takes the object and stabs the dragon deeply into his chest.

Rarity screamed as soon as she saw that. "SPIKEY!" she covered her mouth and quivers. That scream alone had the two injured stallions looked at their friend and had Rachel stirring.

Spike gasped loudly, the wound started bleeding dragon blood. Bouncer used that element of surprise to kick him off.

"Bounce! This as gone far enough." Bob shouted at him. "Big bro, c'mon, please!"

"Dude, listen to your baby brother, we need to fucking go!" Sticks told Bouncer.

"Relax guys, I got where I want with this pussy!" Bouncer laughed, giving Spike a strong kick in the face, sending him back. Spike groans as he slowly tried to stand up.

"Stop this, please stop!" Rarity cried out. "Don't hurt him!"

Spike spatted the blood from his snout as he slowly grabbed the object and with a pull and a shout, he rips the sharp thing out of his chest and heaves heavily. Blood seeping through his white shirt, staining it as it grew. He gets down to his hands and knees and growled deeply, closing his eyes.

Bouncer began to advance towards him once more before he heard Spike shouted out.

Steam starts to visibility rise from his shoulders, his bloody shirt started to project burning holes, especially around where he was stabbed. Beside the burning sensation smell from Bouncer's arms, there was a strong burning of flesh coming from Spike. Upon closer inspection, one would see that where he was stabbed was being cauterized, being set on fire from within Spike.

Something Scalder actually shown him how a few years back. Who knew he'd actually used it on himself.

Bouncer staggers back, seeing Spike actually healing himself and gotten up and lunged at him like a raging beast coming from the depths of Tartarus.

The look at Spike's …. Bouncer might be a monster to some… but this guy was a true creature...

Spike uses everything he has from his claws, tail, even snapping at him with his monstrous teeth and breathing quick bursts of flames.

Bouncer realized now that he may be in trouble. He kept sending magical objects at Spike but nothing was working. His horn sparked more and more through the crack and it was slowly growing. He turns to his friend and sibling.

"Help!" Bouncer pleaded at them as he tries to not let Spike connected at him.

Bob and Sticks were paled by the dragon. The two looked at each other and slowly backed away from the scene out of fright.

"GUYS!" Bouncer shouted before feeling Spike wrapping his hand over the pony's neck and lifts him up high and then throws him to the ground.

"Some friends you got…" Spike hissed softly to Bouncer before grabbing the unicorn's horn.

With a sharp twist and a blood curdling scream, Spike snapped Bouncer's horn off. He goes to thrust the broken horn into Bouncer before he heard new voices.

"RACHEL! Oh my Celestia, no!"

Spike snapped around to see who it was before gasping. He sees Ruby and Gemcity over to a now dazed Rachel.

Ruby had pulled Rachel to her lap and held her close and Gem hugged them both. The two sexlings were in tears. Security ponies stormed down, looking at the scene.

"Oh baby, no." Gem cried, kissing Rachel's forehead. "Everything is gonna be fine, it's gotta be…"

"G-guys…?" Rachel muttered, looking confused.

Gem peeled off a coat Ruby was wearing before throwing it over Rachel's body.

The security sees the three ponies and Spike. Their lights flashed at Spike. His eyes widened….

He slowly dropped the broken horn as the security ponies scattered inside, shouting at Spike to get down to the floor.

And he did.

* * *

Hours later after sorting things out, Spike was in the infirmary, icing his ugly bruised knee, having his minor cuts taken care of and bandaged his chest wound. It was healed now but the medics on the ship just wanted to make sure.

Twilight and the others stuck around, all of them were worried about Spike and Rarity. Rarity was lucky enough to suffer just a bruised neck and minor cuts.

Rachel though, she fought back hard against Bouncer and his asshole associations, Spike hasn't heard anything back.

After they saw Bouncer and others taken to the brig where they'll be taken to actual prison once they'll docked, Spike tried to get to Rachel but there was just too much chaos.

Spike believed what Rarity said what happened. That she and Rachel met up to talk when Bouncer and his guys kidnapped them to bring him out. Though he had many questions, Spike's just glad they're okay…

He hoped….from what he saw from Rachel, she looked horrible. Bouncer was about to… Spike shuddered in thought of that bastard all over her.

But since he couldn't see her, he turned to Rarity who was in the bed next to him. With Pinkie and Starlight sitting on the bed.

"Are you alright?" Spike asked the primadonna pony.

Rarity sipped on a drink of water and nodded. "I'm fine...considering what happened." she said softly. "I want this cruise to end…"

"This hasn't been a fun vacation," Rainbow Dash commented.

"It's been a scary one all week." Fluttershy said, Angel bunny nodded to that.

"I'm sorry guys," Starlight sighed heavily. "I thought a cruise would be a nice getaway. But with everypony getting hurt, you Spike especially,"

"You didn't know." Twilight commented. "Those three stallions will get what's coming to them."

They have no idea… Spike darkly thought.

Later, Spike was given the Okay to leave the infirmary and head back to his cabin. Might as well pack up, they'll be docking soon.

Spike made sure he had everything in check, but something was bothering him. The conversation he and the twins had were replaying. A text message… He doesn't remember sending one to Rachel…

To check, Spike took his phone out of his pocket. It was badly damaged with spider-webbing cracks on the screen. Must've gotten damaged from the fight. But it was able to light up so that was fortunate. Spike goes towards his messages and scrolled down and down.

He felt his heart stopped when he saw the messages between him and Rachel. The ones Spike never typed…

"Who had my phone?" Spike asked to himself. He thought back where he could've left his phone. He doesn't remember leaving it to where Bouncer could get his hands on it.

This...this slow realization began creeping up to him. A chill down his spine.

No...No, it was impossible. She couldn't...she could've done it. Spike paced around, getting his head assorted as the clock strikes twelve, transiting to the midnight hour. Towards the seventh day…

The more he thought about it, the more Spike believed it. His hands crushed the phone and threw it across the cabin. It flew to the open bathroom and collided with the mirror and shattered it.

A gentle knock came to the door...


	10. Day Seven - The End for now

"Spike? Are you present?" Rarity's voice carried off from the other side of the door.

Spike let out a low snarl, anger and rage infused every fiber, every matter of his body. His body started to smoke and pieces of his clothes had begun to burn. After what he just discovered, after finding out what really transpired that evening, Rarity was a fool to actually show her face around him.

Of all the deceitfulness, asinine of things Rarity could have done, this was the worst. Setting Rachel up to Bouncer and his goons, lying right to his face. Sure, it would be easy to pull the mare in and tear her limb from limb, but he wanted to know why she did it before letting his primal rage taking over.

Rarity knocked three times on the door again, causing Spike to turn towards the door. He bottled all of his rage up just enough to walk towards the door, grabbing the knob gently enough to not crush the brass before opening it up.

Just as Rarity was about to knock again, the door swung open. She wore her noir trench coat, showing off the black lacy stockings that covered her long, slender legs. Spike could pretty much guess what she was wearing underneath that coat judging by the stockings..

"Oh, there you are," Rarity said, taking her hand over her throat and cleared it, "I thought you were taking a bath or something."

Spike snarled at her, his free hand clenched so hard his claws actually broke the calased scales and he started to drip blood. Trying to keep a lid of his anger wasn't working at all.

Rarity's eyes widened when she saw the blood dripping to his ground, finally seeing the smoking rising from his body and the slowly burning shirt. Getting the sense that Spike wasn't in the nicest of moods. "Is something wrong, darling?"

Spike shot his bloody hand out, grabbing Rarity roughly by her right forearm. "Spike wha~!" Rarity screamed in her surprise.

"Get in here!" He hissed loudly while roughly dragging Rarity into the room, and slammed the door behind him. Spike then threw Rarity to the ground, the motion caused her trench coat to open and revealed the black skimpy bra and matching lacy panties. Just what Spike had guessed what she wore underneath.

Rarity slowly sat up, hugging herself before turning to Spike with fear in her eyes. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked loudly, looking at her arm. Rarity saw Spike's bloody handprint on her arm, his claws somehow managed to tear the sleeve to shreds.

Spike breathed heavily, trying to get a handle of himself as he glared at the mare before him. "Rarity," said the angry dragon, "you have one chance to save yourself. Right here, right now, I want the truth…"

"The truth?" Rarity gasped. "What truth? Spike, what's going on? Why are you acting like-"

Spike tried so hard to keep his tone down and not roar, but it was a losing battle. "Tell me the truth about what actually happened tonight. Or so help me sweet Celestia, i won't be able to stop myself from hurting you."

"I already told you what I told the security ponies," Rarity jumped by how angry Spike was getting. "Rachel went to find me and explained what happened during the show when Bouncer and his horrid friends came and took us to the-"

"I am sick and tired of all of your lies, Rares!" Spike roared at her. His clothes were burning off, the taste of sulfur coaxed his tongue as the result of his fire glands were activating. He was so close to burning Rarity to ash, maybe even ruining her so called pretty face. "I saw the fucking text you sent her!"

If Rarity wasn't afraid of Spike before, she sure was then. "What…?" she whimpered in confusion.

"You took my phone and texted Rachel to meet at the boiler room, and then probably paid Bouncer and his friends to attack her. Tell me if I'm correct so far." Tiny veins were popping all over his muscles and the green glow grew brighter and brighter. He tried to control himself but it was a losing battle.

Rarity whimpered in fear, surprised by the extent of Spike's hostility. "Spike… you have to understand, I wasn't in the right mind."

"When were you ever in the right mind?! Ever since what happened to you last year, you've changed!"

Rarity gasped in shock. "You know?'

"I knew that you were raped last year by a human? Fuck yeah I did. Twilight sent me a letter explaining what happened. Do you even remember me leaving the Dragon Migration early and stayed with you in your hospital room?"

The realization hit the mare hard. After everything went on… she'd forgotten Spike was even there. Remembering how Spike stayed in the hospital room the longest, seeing how caring he was to her during the trial and everything else before he was forced by Empress Ember to come back to the Dragon Lands.

"I was with you, Rarity. I was with you throughout all of it. I asked you if you need to talk about it but you pushed me out. I figured you were too traumatic to talk about it. I even offered you on multiple occasions a chance to see a therapist, but you blatantly ignored me." Spike growled louder and louder.

Rarity scrambled up on her feet. "Spike, I'm sorry, I'm truly, truly sorry." She was in tears. "I'm not right, please you have to understand." She goes to place her hands on his burning chest.

Spike grabbed hold of her wrists to stop her. "You're so messed up, you were going to have Rachel get raped the same way you were." His tone was very dark. So close he came to popping off, to show Rarity what this big dumb dragon can do when he's angered once more.

Rarity gasped. "I'd never let any creature get raped. Rachel actually offered a hand of friendship, to give me a chance to be friends with her. If I knew Bouncer was going to do that, I'd never hire him to the begin with!"

"It should've never happened!" He pushed Rarity away. Rarity yelped, she staggered back till she regained her balance.

Rarity's eyes were full of tears. "Spikey, I'm so very sorry, I'll do anything to make it up to you." She cried.

Spike felt his fire swelled up, he wasn't able to keep it down much longer. He quickly turned to the trash bin that was next to the bed, he took a deep breath before shooting a quick burst of fire at it. Setting the Rarity plushie that was in the bin up in a green blaze. Rarity jumped with a shout.

Spike grunted. "It's not me who you should make it up to," he moved from his spot and walked towards this suitcase, grabbing a fresh pair of pants and shirt and changed out of the burnt clothes and into the clean clothes. He then bundled up to burned up clothes and tossed them into the burning trash bin and allowed them to burn to ash. "It's up to Rachel. Whatever she wants to do with you, I'll back her up."

Spike turned around and headed towards the cabin door.

"Where are you going?" Rarity asked in her crying state.

"To see my girlfriend. She's the one I need to be with, not with some manipulative, psychotic cunt." He goes to open the door before Rarity shot after him, grabbing his arm in her hands and stopped him.

"Spike, please stay, I need you." Rarity begged. "Please Spikey wikey."

"Unless you want to learn how to use a sewing machine with stumps, back the fuck off." Spike snarled, baring his teeth at her. He tore his arm out of her grasp. "The only reason why I haven't killed you is because of our history together. If you hurt Rachel by any means or do anything to ruin my relationship with her, our history won't mean shit when I'm through with you." The threat was genuine, sending a bone chilling sensation down the mare's spine.

"But Spike...I love you." Rarity whispered Fluttershy's level of softness. The bodacious, flairboiant drama queen was reduced to this meek pony who'd crumble to pieces by the dragon's harshful stare.

"When I get back here, you better be gone. I suggest you get some help or else." And with that, Spike left his room, leaving a heart-shattered unicorn behind.

* * *

After finding out that Rachel wasn't in the infirmary but back in her room, Spike quickly rushed to the upper cabins. He needed Rachel, he had to see her now before she leaves for Fillydelphia in the morning.

Spike retraced his steps all the way to her door. When he got to her door, her scent overwhelmed him as he stood right where it was the strongest. He took in a deep breath, gaining enough confidence to reach up and tapped on the door with his claws and waited patiently.

The door opened and Rachel stood there with a big grinned. He saw the bandage above her left eye and her right arm on a sling, a minor cut on her lips, dressed in a pair of black shorts and a tank top.

He was overjoyed that it was all she had in the result from the fight. "Hey, are you alright?" Spike asked her.

"Yeah," Rachel said, "just a sprained shoulder, nothing more than I could handle." She smirked softly though covering up the fact it was a dislocated shoulder she repaired herself. "Thus, The Brave and Noble Spike comes to see if his damsel is well taken care of?"

"Something like that." He said, his heart fluttering when she dubbed him that. "Can I come in?"

With that adorable cocky smirk, she pushed the door opened wider and stepped aside. "About time you asked." The evening's horrible attempts on her haven't diminished her charming personality..

Spike entered the room finally and saw what was inside: though it was decorated like any other room, most of the space was bare. There wasn't a couch, coffee table or dining table in sight. A large desk filled with tiny vials of paint, brushes, bowls of water lay center of the room, the bed and dresser pushed the far corner. Huge white sheets on the floor and hung on the walls covering completely in various splatter paints. Several finished canvases leaned against a bare wall, paintings of landscapes, the ship and cityscape. The Luna Dreamscape that was in the Art Gallery.

One on an easel captured his attention. It was of him. Normally he'd witnessed paintings and sculptures of himself all throughout the Crystal Empire; from his saving it from King Sombra, saving the Equestrian Games to even telling them that a changeling like Thorax can change. All of him showing how brave and noble of him. He'd recognized them depicting how big and fantastic he was. Showing him as a hero.

This painting was different.

It was painting of him, but there was no cheering ponies around him, nothing showing even the slightest tale of his successes. It was just him, leaning against the zeppline's railing, wearing the suit he wore on the first night. The one he wore when Rarity broke his heart.

But instead of a glum depressed look on his face, it was full of life and love, especially staring at the person next to him. Bearing an arm wrapped around that person with wholly gentleness was of Rachel. But instead dressed in the outfit she wore on that day, it was a light purple gown she had on: The top was a heart shaped neckline corset that glittered underneath the moonlight, the skirt hugged her hips before gracefully falling to the ground like a waterfall, splitting to the side to show off her toned legs. Her hair up in a simple braid and wearing a red ruby choker. He mentioned giving a ruby to Rarity years ago and it ended up on her neck. The lights surrounding them were the firefly flowers, floating around by the thousands, tying it all together beautifully.

It was simple, but to him, it was the most stunning thing he'd ever seen in his life.

"Was this the one you had me pose for the other day?" Spike asked as he got a closer expectation of the painting.

She nodded. "If you want it, you can keep it." Rachel said, coming up next to him. "I didn't have had time to buy the wrapping."

Wrapping? He thought before turning to her.

She smiled and slightly nudged him with her good arm. "It's your birthday today." She said, motioning to the clock on the wall, it was one in the morning, the seventh day, their last day here. "Well, it was. I was going to give it to you after the Fashion Show… before things escalated." Rachel then let out a sigh. "To tell you the truth...I was there on that first night… I was on my way outside to get some fresh air when I saw you flying over head. I saw how hurt you were by Rarity's rejection."

"You...you did?" Spike turned around and stared at her; he was absolutely astonished over the fact that she was there after his failed proposal to Rarity.

Rachel nodded. "I wanted to race over there and give you a hug, but I chickened out. I did plan on looking for you the next day," she then chuckled, "but it seems you found me." And boy that was a good moment there. Spike smiled in memory and stared at her.

Somehow, Rachel was always there. Even when they weren't together, she was there for him. Spike never felt more sure about her than anything else. "Thank you, I love it." and he meant every word of it.

"You're welcome." she said before taking the sling off of her and tossing it somewhere on the floor and rolling the injured shoulder. "This damn thing was chafing me. I'm okay without it."

"Didn't the doctor say you have to wear that?"

"It's filly size. They can use all their magic they like to make it smaller, it doesn't fit."

Spike chuckled. "Yeah, you got a point." He said before sighing. Now or never Spike, he thought before looking down at her. "Rachel, I'm sorry about what happened at the Fashion Show. I should've believed you. If I had, you wouldn't gotten hurt like you did."

"I'm fine, really." She told him, looking up. "If I knew what the twins were planning from the get go, none of this would happen, with Rarity and all."

"Rarity deserves more for paying those guys to attack you," Spike wanted to say but didn't want to deter this moment. So instead, he said. "Rachel, since this trip started, I was in a bad state. The mare I thought I was in love with tore my heart and shattered it so bad I thought I wasn't going to feel anything for anypony ever again." Spike reaches down and brushed a stray hair away from her face, framing her in his claws, her deep soulful eyes staring back at him. "And in a way, I'll never feel for any pony again, because I'm in love with you."

"Spike…" Rachel whispered his name with heartbreaking softness.

"I-I know we only knew each other for a week, but Rachel… I want to be with you. I spent so many years pleasing others that I never had anyone do the same for me." Spike said, pouring his heart to her. "You see for who I am and appreciate it honestly. I-I don't care what others had to say about it, they can go fuck off for all I care. I never felt this way before and I never want it to end. I want- I need you. I want to make sure no one hurts you ever again."

Rachel came up to him, standing on her tiptoes. Trying to get as tall as she could, her hands cupping his cheek. She pulled him down to her height before she pushed her lips onto the dragon's mouth.

Spike automatically closed his eyes from the kiss, his arms wrapped around her body carefully. He hauled Rachel off her feet, her legs wrapped around his waist. Her scent fueling him in this burning passion inside him.

Catching her breath, Rachel broke the kiss, laying her forehead onto his.

He looked at the girl with a chuckle of his own. "What do you say?"

Rachel pulled away slightly, but kept her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Spike, after what I went through with my ex and the loss of my baby, I was in a wreck. My roommates basically forced me to go out on this ship to try to forget." She sighed softly, looking at him with tears in her eyes. "In your own special way, you pulled me out of this deep, dark depression I was in. With your kindness, with your jokes, your smile, just you being you, I climbed out of that hole. Like you, I don't give a damn what others think, I love you, Spike. Fireballs and all."

Before the tears fell off her cheeks, Spike stuck out his forked tongue and licked the tears trailing up, flicking the corners of her eyes before kissing her eyelids and shuddered softly. His wings flapped slightly, wrapping them around Rachel, hugging her close to his body.

They kissed passionately, their tongues tangled and danced for dominance. Spike's muscles loosened but maintained his grip. Only when hearing Rachel moaned was when whatever tether held him back snapped.

With his wings flared open, Spike spun around before setting her down on her back on the desk, among the paints and brushes and bowls of water. He thrusted his tongue in her mouth, and his hands glided up underneath her shirt until he cupped her supple breasts that were the perfect size. Pinching her erect nipples with his claws, hearing her cry with pain and pleasure moaning in his kiss.

Spike's intent at that moment was to finish what they had started days ago on that night in the pool.

Being cautious of her injured shoulder, Spike trailed down from her jaw, along her neck and collarbone, his tongue trickling down to the space between her breasts. As he continued to indulge himself, Rachel let out a few quiet moans and gasps in pleasure.

Spike stopped kissing Rachel- and used this moment to grab her shirt, pulling it over Rachel's head and then flung it at a corner somewhere. Spike looked down at Rachel in desire, seeing her top half nude before him.

Spike's eyes gazed down along her sides and stomach, and he noticed the horrible bruises she sustained from the fight. There were huge black and blue bruises all over her sides, the center of her stomach and down to the waistline of her shorts. His eyes softened with a moan.

He leaned down, slowly, so achingly slowly, Spike kissed each bruise she had gained from hours ago.

Rachel sat up with a grunt before seeing what he was doing. Seeing Spike kissing each hoof-size bruising she had from being repeatedly kicked. Kissing each bruise as if it would remove the aching pain.

When he got to her breasts, Spike let out a low growl, going over to her nipple and put his mouth around the nipple and sucked. Playing and tugging it roughly between his teeth. As he sucked on her, he raised a hand and began groping her other breast, kneading and playing with it. He took his free hand and pinned the human onto the table in place, holding her by her waist. He listened to her whimper and moan as he played with her tits, it was like the pleasant sound of music to his ears; an instrument that he was determined to play.

He glanced up at her, seeing the face she was making, silently begging him to pursue more, he happily obliged. The hand that was pinning Rachel moved up, laying it beside her head as he moved to the other breast and bestowed it the same worshiping treatment. His hand plopping beside her head onto a thing of rainbow infused paint by accident.

Spike lets up from his teasing, glancing at his hand, dripping in the colorful substance and let out a chuckle. He looked at Rachel who lay breathless before him. With a smirk, he took his fingers and gently drew on her skin, circling around her breasts, down her sides, causing her to squirm and wiggle under his touch.

"Spah-Spike!" Rachel squealed in laughter, squirming under his fingers as Spike painted over her ticklish spots. For a change, she was being used as his canvas.

Spike eventually stopped his painted and gazed into her eyes. He felt a burning sensation growing on his cheeks, the look of lust danced around of emerald eyes.

"Spike…" Rachel croaked softly. Her cheeks also burned with the same burning passion and longing for his touch.

Spike bent down and kissed his mate passionately. Rachel hands gathering in some paint as well and gotten all over the spikes of his back, some along his wings, streaks of yellows, reds, greens and blues smeared all over Spike's body and face.

Spike's hands trailed down to the waistband of her shorts, gripped the edges and proceed to pull them off before Rachel pulled away from his kiss breathless. "H-hold up." She gulped heavily.

"What's wrong?" Spike asked, he was also breathless but was worried if he was going too far. He could smell her pheromones rising and it was bringing about his raging primal needs out. "Too much?"

"What?! Psh! You fuckin' kidding me? No." Rachel told him. She grabs a cup of water from the table and threw it across the room and hitting the bathroom door. "You two. Get out, now!" She let out a snarl.

Spike looked at her confused before he heard giggling coming from the bathroom and turned his head around and saw the door opening, and he saw the sexling twins coming out of the bathroom.

"Oh c'mon!" Ruby called out. "Not even a minute?"

"Just one moment?" Gemcity whined but had a huge grin on her face. "We can just stand back and wa-"

"Fuck. Off." Rachel gritted her teeth aggressively. Though she was human, she was intimidating as hell. Made Spike's wings flung open, and his desire for her growing much stronger. A major turn on for him.

The twins laughed at each other before slinking their way out of the suite. Giving the two one last look before closing the door behind them.

Rachel groaned softly before looking at Spike with a candid look. "Sorry, I forgot they were-" She froze when she saw the hunger in Spike's eyes. His pupils had turned to slits.

They stared at each other for a moment before Spike grabbed her wrists, held them above her head and hungerly kissed her. His tongue thrusts back into her mouth and not giving her any second of dominance. He couldn't wait anymore. Pulling away where only a thin string of saliva strung between the two, leaving her breathless.

"You're mine…" Spike gutturally said.

Grabbing her by her waist, Spike lifted Rachel over his shoulder, hefting her up like she weighed nothing. Carrying her to the bed, he wholly drops her down onto the mattress. Rachel gasped before Spike came on top of her once more.

Grabbing the fabric of her shorts, he tugged and yanked them off, tossing them somewhere in the room. His eyes drifted down towards her exposed sex, her legs spread apart, giving him a peek of what she has to offer. Spike lowered himself down to where his snout were mere inches from her entrance. The dragon glanced up to meet Rachel's gaze before his forked tongue extended out, pushing through her folds and truly tasted the girl before him.

The first lick nearly pushed Rachel to sit up as it just grazed across her clit.

Spike let out a sharp growl, liking what he tastes and pushed his snout further, past her folds and begins eating her out. His hands pushing the human's legs more apart so he could gain more access.

"Oh-oh fuck!" Rachel moans loudly. Grabbing handfuls of the sheet and felt his tongue lapping her sensitive cherry, feeling it slipping in and out of her crevice. The feel of her velvet walls encasing his tongue as he ate her from the inside.

"Yesssss, oooh!" Rachel hissed and gasped as she felt him explored her sacred depths. Indulging in her squeaks and moans only made him go along in her faster. Spike's mate had then hooked her legs around his head and pushed him down further in her. "Spike!" She cried out his name as Spike lapped more over her clit.

His teeth gently nipped and tugged on her while his tongue continued to probe the girl's now dripping sex. Her juices tasted the the same as her scent, sweet and arousing. He couldn't get enough of her.

Spike kept on. He loved hearing her crying out his name like that, almost like a prayer of sorts, he loved the taste of her on his tongue, the feel of her soft skin molding in his hands. Spike loved every moment of it. His fingers slipped inside of her, feeling the warm familiar tightness of her walls squeezing around them as Spike continued.

Rachel would've shot off the bed if it wasn't for Spike pinning her down on it. Just like at the pool, Spike could feel that Rachel was coming close. Not this time though, not yet.

Moving away from her legs, Spike stood on his knees, grabbing his shirt, he nearly tores it off of him before crawling over on top of her, though minding of Rachel's injured shoulder. The two fought in a heated kiss, Rachel moans deeply at the taste on her dragon's lips and tongue. Tasting her own juices only ignited the fire in her belly more.

Rachel's hands roam the deep tensed contours of Spike's harden muscles, sliding over his sensitive wings, enticing Spike to growl through the heated kiss. Spike's hands explored of his girl's soft flesh, roaming over her breasts to indulging into her soaking sex, rubbing her sensitive clit to groping and squeezing her ass.

Feeling himself harder than the strongest gems, Spike couldn't take it anymore. He sat up on his knees again and unbuttoning his pants and pulled them off. His cock sprung out, causing Rachel's eyes to widened by it. The shaft itself was 9 inches thick just by looking at it and then length? No words could even describe that monster. She looked intimidated by it but there was a look of hunger in her eyes.

Tossing the pants somewhere off the mattress, Spike nestled down, Rach's legs hooked around his waist as best as she could. Spike grabbed her by the hips, his wings slightly flared. He aligns himself at her entrance when he suddenly froze.

A realization hits him hard: It was obvious he was big compared to his girlfriend, much bigger than what Rachel's probably used to. Spike could seriously hurt her, he doesn't want that. He almost backed out.

Rachel sees his hesitation. She sat up on one arm and reaches out with the other and cupped her hand on his cheek. "It's going to be fine." She said softly. "I can handle it."

"I don't want to hurt you." Spike muttered, looking into her deep eyes.

"You won't," she said before the corner of her lips curled. "If it gets too much, I'll shout out a safe word: Papaya."

Spike snickered at the odd choice of a word. "What the heck is a papaya?"

"It's a strange fruit, I never actually seen one."

This girl…. this funny, sweet, beautiful random creature beneath him. Fearless, bold...everything about her. Unafraid of what would happen, giving him a boost confidence. With that, Spike held onto Rachel and pushed himself inside slowly.

He snarled softly with the feel of Rachel's vaginal walls squeezing around him. Spike figured she'd be tight due to her being smaller than him but this was unbelievable. And he only got the head inside! Not hearing the safe word from Rachel, Spike pushed on.

Rachel moaned loudly. Her walls stretched as much as possible to commandeer Spike's massive size. Without hurting her as he eased into her, filling her inch by inch. Almost torture-like slowness Spike had taken, Rachel gripped onto the sheets and bit her lips, shutting her eyes tight, panting heavily until he stopped.

Unbelievably, only a couple of inches of himself was left outside. Spike was just surprised that he was able to get inside of her at all. He looked down at Rachel, making sure she was alright before he started to move He of course started off slow, allowing the girl below him to get used to the large size. Spike pulls out so torturously slow before pushing himself back in her, buried himself as much as he could inside of her.

Rachel moaned softly, feeling him move inside her, stretching her walls to commandeering his large member. When Spike found his rhythm, he started picking up the pace, driving in deeper within her, going harder and harder. Listening to her breath quickened and her moans grown louder and louder.

Keeping an ear out for the safe word, Spike kept grinding his hips against hers. The bed creaked and groaned, the headboard thumping against the wall in unison to the dragon's movement. He heaved and growled, slowly losing himself into Rachel.

Rachel's moans louder and louder as Spike drove deeper, harder inside. Spike had then moved his hands off from her hips and leaned over, bracing his hands beside of Rachel's head and kissed her deeply. The two frantically kissed as they continued this passionate dance, moaning into each other's lips.

Rachel's body trembled and shuddered before she let out a cry, a huge wave of bliss took hold of her. Spike snarled by how tighten her walls gotten from her orgasum, but he was far from down and kept riding her.

When he got tired of being in this position, Spike slid out of Rachel and had her rolled over to her stomach, pushing her hips upward.

Rachel let out a startled gasp but chuckled breathlessly. Spike realined himself with her nethers once more and pushed himself back inside. Rachel let out a loud moan as she felt him inside once more.

In this position, Spike felt that his mate was more deeper, he was able to get every last inch of his hardened flesh inside her. Holding onto Rachel's hips, he resumed onto pounding her. The headboard by then was slamming against wall in unison to Spike's heavy thrusts, a noticeable hole was forming.

Rachel's moans and groans were louder and louder, almost to a lustful scream of sorts. Gripping onto the sheets, she tried to keep up with her lover but she couldn't. She lay her head to the side to where one eye was looking up. Watching Spike as he worked. There was this level of concentration in his eyes, trying not to break his rhythm. Seeing that level he's taking was all it take before the dam broke again and she came again with a scream, calling out his name.

Spike held onto her as he drove on. Raising his right hand from her hip, reaching up to grab Rachel's long hair before looking down at her back fully. Seeing the wings on her back. He saw the full details of the tattoo, how they looked so real. He saw the gaps in the wings themselves, seeing the deep burns and scars from a past long ago. Bruising forming where Bouncer and his goons kicked her but Spike was paying more attention on the scars.

He moved his hand away from Rachel's hair and moved towards one of the scars. Spike gently traced around the edging of it. Feeling the deep indentation her father made it. Looking down to the saying at the center of her back.

Spike slowed down his thrusts as he leaned over, placing a kiss on one of the scars. "You're anything but broken," He growled against her skin. Rachel gasped softly by his words, by his touch.

Spike grunted low, snaking his hands around her waist, pulling Rachel up. Putting her back against his chest as he kept thrusting. Bringing his lips to the sensitive spot on Rachel's neck.

The dragon eventually started to slam harder and harder against her, holding onto Rachel, his hands grabbing her breasts and played with them once more. Rachel cried out, her body shuddered, overfilled with so many sensations. The intensity she was feeling had brought her to tears.,but she refused to say the safe word; it wasn't too much for her or she that was in pain, for the week they had experienced, the two needed this.

Spike snarled against his mate's ear, slamming his hips against her ass. With one last thrust, he hilted himself inside her with a roar. Releasing a concentrated shot of jizz deeply inside the human's womb at the same time Rachel came once more.

A large amount of dragon spunk filled Rachel's womb up to the to the brim, to the point it overfill and leaked out all over the sheets. Rachel let out a long groan as she and Spike climbed down from the euphoria. However, judging by the still hardon Spike still had and a breathless laugh, the dragon was far from done.

And Rachel had no problems with that.

* * *

Somewhere near two in the afternoon, Spike finally managed to peel his eyelids open and saw the most beautiful woman laying beside him. Seeing that gorgeous smile beaming down at him at first wake.

"Morning," Spike muttered softly, placing a hand over her cheek and having his thumb gently rubbed it.

"Well, it's the afternoon, but yeah, morning." Rachel chuckled softly, placing her hand over his.

Spike scooted closer to give her a kiss before he pulled her onto his chest, idling traced circles on her shoulder. Rachel lay her head just under Spike's neck, draping her arm over him with a sigh, almost like a lazy hug.

"You slept well?" Spike asked her.

"For an hour yeah, I did." Rachel smirked.

"Oh shit, seriously?" Spike chuckled nervously. Even when he was Discorded, his first time didn't even last throughout the night.

"It's fine though," Rachel giggled, seeing his reaction. She gently placed kisses along his jaw and hummed softly. "I enjoyed everything about it."

Spike smiled at that. "That's good. I didn't-"

"Spike, I didn't say the safe word. Yes my legs are basically wet noodles, but other than that, no you didn't hurt me."

Spike narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you sure you don't have any secret power I don't know about?"

Rachel stuck her tongue out playfully. "You are just easy to read. I figured that dragons are rough when it comes to sex, you don't have to justify or apologize for something that's completely out of instinct. Who am I to complain on what comes naturally?"

"My girlfriend." Spike replied.

Rachel tapped him on his nose with her finger. "After the week we had, we needed this."

Spike sighed, agreeing with her a hundred percent.

The two lay in the bed, tangled up in the ruined sheets for a good long while before Rachel started to get up. "What are you doing?" Spike asked curiously. He wasn't ready to even let her go just yet.

"To take a shower; I got dragon spunk and paint all over me, a crew member knocked on the door a while ago saying that we're back at Canterlot and is giving us until four o'clock to get all of our stuff and leave the zeppelin so they can get the next wave of passengers." Rachel pointed out.

Spike groaned loudly, draping an arm over his eyes and let out a whine. "I don't wanna get up just yet."

"Come on, big guy. We gotta get clean." Rachel egged on, giving him a gentle shake. Spike then snaked his arms around her and held her in place.

"No." He pouted.

"Spike," Rachel said with a stern tone, "we gotta get up."

Spike shook his head before nuzzling up against her neck. "NoooOoo." Spike whined again.

Rachel sighed and tried to get up. "Spike we gotta-" The two of them ended up wrestling on the mattress for a short minutes, Rachel ended up sitting up with Spike on her, his head resting on her stomach.

She sighed heavily. "Seriously, dude?"

Spike gave a long lick across her belly before lifting his head up and rested on her chest. Her boobs sandwiched him as he gave her a puppy dog look.

Rachel laughed. "For a supposingly big scary dragon, you have got to be the biggest fucking teddy bear I've ever met!"

Spike chuckled, grinning from ear to ear. Rachel kissed his snout and sighed softly. Spike hugged her with a smile before a slow realization creeped over him. He sat up and look right at her belly, his scales were turning white. "Oh shit…" He whisped softly.

"What? What is it?" Rachel asked him.

Spike cursed at himself, facepalming with both of his hands and groaned. "Oh fuck Celestia's Holy ass!"

"Spike?" Rachel asked alarmly. "What's wrong?"

"I came in you...oh gosh, oh gosh!" Spike started to freak out at Twilight's level. He then started to rant on how he got Rachel pregnant and was getting scared by the minute in realize that he'll become a dad which he was not ready for.

Rachel watched him for a bit before leaning over to him. Just like she did on the date, she flicked him on the nose to get him to stop. "Dude, calm down, i'm not pregnant."

"Buh-but I cummed inside, a lot." Spike said, reminding her. He started to freak out again before Rachel calmed him down and explained the situation.

"Spike, relax, I'm not pregnant. The twins hooked me up with this high grade contraceptive potion. Remember when they gave us the water bottles on our first date?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, they spiked both of our drinks so both of us can't impregnate one another. They said it last a week and it works with most creatures, dragons included. They used it on themselves when they go out and feed."

Spike looked at her for confirmation. "Really? No baby bun in oven?"

Rachel giggled as she shook her head in reply with a sigh. "No bun. I hope to have one down the road...but not right now." She said. "Besides, the odds of me having a human/dragon offspring is one-in-a-million chance. Hell it's that by luck I got pregnant by a pony in the first place."

Spike felt like as ass, but he let out a huge breath of relief that he wasn't going to be a father. Thankfully, Rachel didn't get annoyed by that. Spike does want an offspring one day, but not now. They're both young, they have all the time in the world before settling down.

"So...can we have that shower now?" Rachel asked.

Spike laughed softly before looking at her. "It;s your cabin."

"We meant us ya dummy." Rachel let out a sexy purr.

Spike didn't have to be told what that meant. With a grin, he picked up Rachel and scurried her off in the bathroom.

Twilight stormed down the halls pissed off. She was doing a rundown of everypony to make sure they didn't forget anything and saw that Spike wasn't even there. She went to his cabin to find only Rarity looking like she was about to have a mental break!

"When I find that dragon i'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" She growled at herself.

Twilight figured that he'd be in Rachel's room, after getting the cabin room number from one of the crew members, she stomped all the way to the door. She did her breathing techniques before knocking on the door.

She waited for a moment but no Rachel didn't open. "Um rachel?" the princess called out. "Is Spike in there?"

Again, the door didn't open. She pressed an ear to the door and heard the distinctive sound of the shower running and other sounds playing in the room.

The sexlings in their unicorn forms came out of their room with their suitcases packed and ready to go. They stopped when they saw Twilight at Rachel's door.

"HI Princess Twilight!" Gemcity giggled.

Twilight turned to the twins. "Hi girls, is this Rachel's room?"

"It was a couple of minutes ago." Ruby said. "It's time for everyone to get off."

"I know that." Twilight grunted.

One of the twins was about to say something before both of them started to feel something, a tingle down their spines. A strong heavy musk filled their noses, almost causing them to lose their form.

Once the girls knew what was up, both of them grinned ear to ear. "Oh they're gonna be in there for a while." they said in unison.

Twilight groaned, "we need to leave now." Twilight then teleported inside to get Spike out.

The twins looked at each other before both of them crowded around the door. The two pressed their ears against the wood and listened to what was going on inside.

Of course they heard the very familiar thumping sound coming from inside. Followed by loud moaning from the young couple coming from the shower. The twins were getting a contact buzz just from listening!

The next part got them rolling on the floor laughing their asses off.

"Spike, what are you- AHHHHH!" Twilight screamed loudly.

"Oh fuck!" both Spike and Rachel screamed out of fright. "TWILIGHT FUCK OFF!" Spike snapped loudly.


	11. Sneak Peek for Main Sequel

[b][color=#3c26af][size=2em][center][b]Now...sneak peek for the sequel[/b][/center]

[center][b][i]Rewrite The Stars…[/i][/b][/center][/size][/color][/b]

Rachel followed the tiny crypt keeper down the stairwell. The red light flickered from the pony's horn as they journeyed further down.

Loud roars and screams echoing the surrounding darkness. Every fiber of the human's body was screaming her to turn and run. But she didn't. She had the Celestine crystal strapped to her back. She couldn't turn back.

"The princesses are about to send this demon to tartarus," the crypt keeper said as they traveled further. "You should quit before you're ahead."

"He isn't a demon." Rachel snarled. "He's just sick. I got what he needs to feel better."

"You'll be dragon shit. That monster will-"

"I swear to fucking God, I will throw your midget ass into one of these cages with the others if you don't shut up and lead away."

"Okay okay, sheesh!" the crypt keeper jumped by her threat and lead on.

The two came to a large door. Rachel's jaw dropped 'cause it was the biggest fucking door she ever lay her eyes upon. It stood over a hundred feet tall, the doors were made of the strongest material so it was indestructible.

And moving inside, something in there let out a loud monstrous roar that put the other creatures there to shame.

"You sure you want to continue to do this?" the crypt keeper asked.

Rachel nodded, making sure the crystal was strapped well. "It'll be over in fifteen minutes. We'll be out."

"Babe, when fifteen minutes are up and you're not out, I'm locking these doors and you're gonna die."

The blue jewel on her bracelet regained their color and began to spark. "I will shock you again." She threatened the keeper.

"Celestia save me…" The keeper whimpered before casting a spell on the lock. The gigantic doors slowly swings open.

A strong gust of air shot out. Rachel grunts, closing her eyes and shield her face with her arms as the air blew and died down. Inside the dark room, there were sounds of loud stomps and chains shaking.

"Last chance, little girl. Turn back or you'll die." the keeper warned her last time.

With a grunt, Rachel took her large crystal and ventured off inside. As soon as she stepped inside the musky dark room, the crypt keeper quickly closes the door behind her. All light shut off.

"Fifteen minutes! Knock three times and I'll let you out!" he tells her.

Rachel shudders, fear creep over her body in a tidal wave. This was her boyfriend, her lover, she'd do anything for Spike…

She prayed to whoever was listening, praying that her plan works.

"[i]Calanmai[/i]." She mutters the spell. The yellow gem glowed and the pitch darkness and consumed in the bright light so she could see.

As soon as the lights came one, she came face to face with the monster.

Rachel let out a shout before backing up to the door. This creature now face to face...it wasn't Spike. Standing over fifty-five feet tall, the purple and green dragon snarled at the tiny human. Slowly creeping to her, it's eyes locked onto her.

"Spike….what has she done to you..?" Rachel whispered softly before the dragon roared and charged at her.


End file.
